Joint venture partners HASSELL + Populous have won the architectural contract for the design of Sydney's new integrated convention, exhibition and entertainment precinct at Darling Harbour, due for completion in 2016. HASSELL will also design the extensive public parklands and open space within the 20 hectare precinct.

HASSELL + Populous are design consultants to Darling Harbour Live consortium, which has been selected by the New South Wales Government as preferred developer and contractor of the AUD $1 billion facility. The consortium comprises of developer Lend Lease, its infrastructure development business Capella Capital, leading venue managers and operators AEG Ogden, and Spotless, which will deliver Facility Management Services.

Ken Maher, HASSELL design leader on the project, said the firm was delighted to take on the challenge of transforming a key Sydney precinct through the design of three major public buildings and the unifying public realm.

"The re-making of Darling Harbour is a rare opportunity to design a significant new quarter within the central city," he said. "It extends the urban fabric and re-connects the city to Ultimo and Pyrmont with more permeable networks of streets and lanes. Importantly it can bring a new level of public amenity for visitors and citizens alike through extended public parkland that is identifiably 'Sydney' in character.

Populous has designed both the London and Sydney Olympic stadiums in addition to 45 Convention and Exhibition centres around the world. The firm's senior principal and project leader, Richard Breslin, says Sydney will have a state-of-the-art venue that will showcase the city to the world and revitalise Darling Harbour, both economically and culturally.

"It will be a fusion of architecture and landscape, of indoors and outdoors, of engagement, education, living, creative working and entertainment. The project demonstrates the imperative of responsive design to sustain urban life at this critical time for our cities and communities," he said.Populous' Richard Breslin added that the project presents a great opportunity for Sydney as a major international destination.

"The landmark Convention Centre, deliberately clad in materials which reflect its spectacular harbour outlook, will be complimented by the rest of the precinct which looks onto parkland. Here, the building's boundaries are set back, designed so the landscape becomes part of the building, with circulation and meeting spaces open to the park, terraces functioning as meeting spaces, and a huge 5000 sqm open deck on top of the building providing a platform to be used for major events," said Breslin.

The precinct will include:_A convention facility capable of holding three separate concurrent events of up to 2,500 delegates_Total exhibition capacity of 40,000 square metres_An external event deck of 5,000 square metres featuring spectacular city views_A plenary hall which can be converted to an entertainment theatre with a seated capacity of 8,000_A grand ballroom with banqueting space for up to 2,000_Upgrade and improvements to the extensive public parklands and open space

In a significant change to Sydney's public transport landscape, the New South Wales Government has committed to delivering light rail from Randwick and Kingsford through the heart of the CBD to Circular Quay to reduce urban congestion.

HASSELL, together with Arup and Aurecon, are the engineering, light rail systems and urban design team commissioned by Transport for NSW to deliver this exciting new project.

The design challenge is to create a transport system befitting Australia's global city, integrating the physical infrastructure into existing urban areas of distinctive character and significant heritage value to establish a sensitive and high-quality public domain.

Thursday 13 December 2012HASSELL set to transform Taylor Square South into Sydney’s first bike hub

HASSELL has been chosen by the City of Sydney to transform the historic Taylor Square South into Sydney's first bike hub, as part of the city's Sustainable Sydney 2030 Plan for a greener, cleaner, more people-friendly precinct.

Taylor Square South's current form is the by-product of a series of traffic decisions at the busy intersection of Flinders and Oxford streets. The public square is a meeting point that is heavily used by pedestrians and cyclists and is the junction of three major cycle routes, including a separated cycleway.

The vision for the Taylor Square Bike Hub is to provide a significant resource and connection for cyclists. It will deliver an integral component of the city's initiative to provide a city-wide cycling network to reduce vehicle dependency and encourage, support and increase the number of people choosing cycling as a safe, sustainable and healthier transport option.

The project will deliver an exciting new type of community venue linked to social and cycling activity, information, service and retail. It encompasses master planning for the future upgrade of the public square, together with the adaptive reuse of the site's prominent Federation building – its façade currently featuring the brightly-coloured, temporary artwork 'always was, always will be' by Reko Rennie for the 2012 streetware City Art program (pictured) – which will be stripped back and reinvented as sustainably developed community and social spaces.

The HASSELL design approach, developed with physical models, explored the site specific challenges to reveal a thoughtful, crafted and contextual scheme that sensitively upgrades and integrates the building with the surrounding public domain, and puts the 'square' back into Taylor Square.

It responds to the city's desire to reactivate the area through improved urban design, and make Taylor Square South a more vibrant, attractive and safe public area through the addition of a first-class facility and 'nerve centre' for Sydney's cycling community.

Image: ‘always was, always will be’ by Reko Rennie(courtesy of the City of Sydney)

Thursday 13 December 2012Financial Times features Ningbo and Dongqian Lake projects

The Financial Times featured the Chinese city of Ningbo in its latest China Special Report published on 11 December, noting how the city represented an alternative path in urban development and work-life balance in China.

The report said Ningbo had sought out international design firms to help it build a forward-looking new town that is clean, green, sustainable and constructed on a human scale. HASSELL is one of two principal master planners for the project.

FT interviewed Peter Duncan, Chairman of HASSELL, who said: "This is where the true urbanisation story of China is really happening, in these cities of between one million and four million people – and China has hundreds of them."

In the same article, FT mentioned the award-winning Dongqian Lake project by HASSELL on the outskirts of Ningbo, where an ecotourism project is envisioned, based on man-made and floating islands that will house a resort, while also serving as a fish farm and natural water purifying plant.

FT noted that the design recently won a prestigious World Architecture Festival award for HASSELL - it involves a central island made from soil created by dredging the heavily silted lake, with smaller floating islands whose reed beds will be used to improve the water quality of the lake. Fishing villages on the edge of the lake will be able to reel the islands in and out, depending on the breeding cycle of the lake's fish.

The HASSELL Shanghai studio and Arch Club held a joint event for fellow designers on the weekend that included a visit to our Shanghai studio. The event attracted more than 70 designers, consultants and project managers. Three senior associates from HASSELL presented some of the firm's key projects and milestones in China.

All three were on display last night when he spoke at the Australian Institute of Architects in Sydney at an event sponsored by HASSELL.

So too was the creativity and passion he brings to a wide range of urban renewal and development projects, not just in Denmark where he originates from, but in other parts of Europe as well as North America and China.

Ingels heads up the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) which has been invited by HASSELL to visit Sydney to explore the potential for future project collaborations. The common design values and easy fit between BIG and HASSELL make it a powerful team.

Ingels originally wanted to be a cartoonist, and only began to study architecture in 1993 to help improve his drawing skills. He is obviously still interested in cartooning: his 'Yes is More' manifesto is available in comic book form.

He has put his manifesto into practice in a wide range of innovative, award-winning projects, often with collaborators.

Ingels has worked on numerous urban development projects such as:

_Slussen in Stockholm - a place which connects the northern and southern parts of the city and remains a centrepoint for traffic but has been turned into an urban leisure zone focused on the pedestrian

_Superkilen in Copenhagen - an innovative public park in the Nørrebro district of Copenhagen, stretching 750 metres. Many of the objects in the park come from other countries that represent the ethnic diversity of the neighbourhood. They include swings from Iraq, benches from Brazil, a fountain from Morocco and rubbish bins from England.

Ingels' concept of 'hedonistic sustainability' is nowhere more evident than in one of the projects he is currently working on - a waste-to-energy plant in Copenhagen that will have ski slopes on the roof. The unlikely combination of green energy and alpine sport was the winning bid in a competition to design a new waste-to-energy plant which aims to be one of the cleanest in the world when it opens in 2016.

In October 2011, the Wall Street Journal named Ingels the Innovator of the Year for architecture. This year, the same newspaper said he was 'rapidly becoming one of the design world's rising stars'.

Click here to see some of what Bjarke Ingels had to say at the AIA in Sydney last night.

Tuesday 4 December 2012Vote for Sydney’s most inventive landscape architecture

Voting is currently open for the inaugural Premier's People's Choice Awards for landscape architecture in Sydney.

The awards aim to find the most inventive addition to Sydney's landscape and the six shortlisted projects range from schemes to revitalise national parks in western Sydney to art installations in the heart of the central business district.

One of the shortlisted projects is Walk the Line by HASSELL, a temporary painted line linking public transport nodes across the Sydney CBD, encouraging interaction with the surrounds and people in new and unusual ways. The design was part of the 2011 STREET WORKS competition – an initiative of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) NSW.

Angus Bruce, Head of Landscape Architecture at HASSELL, was quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald earlier this week talking about Walk the Line and the idea behind the project.

''We wanted to remind people of the levels of activity reminiscent of the days of old when you had kids playing hopscotch and cricket in the streets,'' he said. ''The question behind it was: Can you really do that in the city?''

Ken Maher, Chairman of the International Executive at HASSELL, was recently interviewed on ABC Radio National's Working Asia series about his experiences and thoughts on working in Asia, particularly in China.

Ken was interviewed alongside Karl Traeger, Director at Woodhead, as Australians who work for companies that have established themselves in the Asian market. Ken and Karl both spoke about modern architecture in Asia, as well as their experiences of working in the region and collaborating with local architects.

Relating his experiences of Chinese cities, Ken noted that he always felt stimulated by their dynamism and constant change. He talked about the rich social subtexts along with the great sense of humour and camaraderie that emerges when working with clients and other collaborators there.

He also spoke about the large urban planning projects HASSELL has worked on in China, such as the New City of Ningbo, and the desire by many people – both Chinese and foreigners – to return to traditional Chinese city making, incorporating elements into modern cities that have worked well historically.

Discussing the ways in which exposure to Asia has altered him as a designer, Ken noted that among other things it had enriched his understanding of the importance of different places and provided valuable insights into how China has dealt with rapidly expanding cities and how this knowledge might be applied to growing cities in Australia.

The Working Asia series was broadcast ahead of the release of the federal government white paper Australia in the Asian Century.

HASSELL will welcome award-winning architect Ben Duckworth as a Principal to be based in the Melbourne studio from Monday 3 December 2012.

Ben brings with him impressive design credentials having worked with some of the world's most creative and respected international design practices over the past 15 years.

After studying architecture at the University of Tasmania and graduating in 1997, Ben worked in Hobart and Sydney before being awarded the RAIA Polyflor Travelling Scholarship in 2003 and basing himself in Europe.

His most recent role was with Herzog and de Meuron in Switzerland where he had been an associate since 2007. During his time with Herzog and de Meuron Ben was involved in projects ranging in scale from single spaces to master plans for 20,000 people – and across various sectors including residential, sport, culture and education. Ben led the extension and expansion of the Tate Modern, Lords Cricket Ground Master Plan and the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford in the UK. He was also project director for the Kolkata Museum of Modern Art (KMOMA) in India.

Melbourne Principal Mark Loughnan welcomed Ben commenting that, "Ben joins HASSELL Principal Jad Silvester and me in having previously worked with Herzog and de Meuron in Europe. We are excited to be working together again at HASSELL in Melbourne and contributing to a culture of design excellence for our clients locally, nationally and internationally."

HASSELL and Herzog and de Meuron are currently collaborating on a shortlisted proposal for the Flinders Street Station International Design Competition – an iconic Melbourne project that has attracted entries from numerous international practices.

Wednesday 28 November 2012London High Line shortlisted entries on exhibition

The HASSELL Public Realm team in the London studio was recently shortlisted in the High Line for London competition and this entry, along with the other shortlisted schemes, is currently on public exhibition at the London City Hall.

The London High Line competition attracted 170 entries from around the world with proposals to enhance the UK capital's green infrastructure, inspired by New York's High Line. The competition was launched by the Landscape Institute, the mayor or London and the Garden Museum. The competition judges included Joshua David and Robert Hammond, Founders of the High Line, Dr Penelope Curtis, Director of Tate Britain and Matthew Pencharz, Environment Advisor to the Mayor of London, who collectively selected the shortlist of 20 schemes.

HASSELL collaborated with architects We Made That and AOC to develop a scheme that proposes a network of 'Indus-tree-ous' community woodlands throughout London. These would be grown on the 'in between' spaces - the parking lots, undeveloped land and unloved local spaces - creating true community-led woodlands. Seeds collected and propagated by local school children would be planted by the community, celebrated by the community and harvested by the community.

The panel of judges noted that, "The shortlisted designs range from massive city-wide strategies, like using the empty space on top of buses, trams and trains to create mobile gardens, to small-scale community projects, like miniature urban woodlands in London's forgotten spaces (...) Several themes appear to dominate the shortlisted entries: the significance of journeys, links and transport infrastructure and how they impact on our lives is addressed by many of the entries. And, the power of water - whether it's the Thames or some of London's forgotten waterways or issues like water scarcity, flooding and pollution, many of the designs make use of water in their designs."

The scheme by HASSELL and the other shortlisted practices, including (Y/N) Studio, Terra Studio, Place Design + Planning and winners Fletcher Priest Architects, are currently on exhibition at the main chamber of London's City Hall, where they can be viewed until 30 November.

Improved passenger access and an increase in passenger facilities are two trends that will mark the development of Australian airports in the future according to Mark Wolfe, HASSELL Principal and a leading aviation designer. Mark was recently interviewed for the Passenger Terminal World 2013 showcase publication.

"Australia has a car culture and people are slow to adopt public transport. The main airports are very congested at peak times and we'll likely see airports such as Melbourne and Sydney develop further strategies to deal with their forecourts and modal split to alleviate chronic congestion," said Mark.

HASSELL was one of six leading global companies in the aviation design industry chosen to discuss how they see the sector progressing next year and which trends they believe will come into play in the future.

"I think we will see facilities that offer greater choice. Terminal designs will need to be more flexible and multipurpose to satisfy a range of airlines with different operating models. For the passengers, they will be able to customise their airline ticket based on their needs (...) We will see more terminal space handed over to passenger amenity in the coming year," said Mark.

Some of the notable aviation projects HASSELL has completed recently are Christchurch Integrated Terminal and forecourt redevelopment (New Zealand), Brisbane Airport Common User Satellite and Brisbane Airport Domestic Terminal. Aviation projects currently in progress include Perth International Airport Terminal 2 (2013) and Melbourne Airport Southern Precinct development (which will increase capacity for domestic airlines, including a domestic terminal (T4), a multilevel car park and ground transport interchange, and a new forecourt).

Passenger Terminal World 2013 is an international review of airport terminal design, technology, security, operations and management and shares views and opinions of experts in the field.

The new ABN AMRO Bank workplace in Hong Kong won a silver award at the recent Asia Pacific Design (APIDA) Awards in the Work Space Category.

Located in Hong Kong's tallest building, the ICC, the ABN office is an innovative open plan workplace for the Dutch bank known for its history of mergers and acquisitions.

The design was inspired by the diversity and disparity between Hong Kong and Holland, two countries with vastly different landscapes and history. The design team also explored traditional and contemporary Dutch design aesthetics. The solution includes a large gallery-style reception to house the bank's private contemporary art collection with meeting rooms set back from the perimetre to maximise the fantastic views of Hong Kong Island. Visitors also have access to a business lounge during working hours or during functions and town halls.

The APIDA awards are organised by the Interior Design Association of Hong Kong - a member of the International Federation of Interior Architects and Designers. The awards are now in their twentieth year and showcase talented interior designers as well as raise the standards of professionalism in the Asia Pacific region.

The George Patterson Y&R workplace project in Melbourne has won the Workspace Interiors category at the 2012 WAN Awards.

The brief called for a 'studio' office environment that would reflect the creative team at advertising agency George Patterson Y&R and its sub-brands while still being a practical modern office. The GPY&R team had to be able to use the space while the project was completed.

Various working areas were required, from presentation spaces and informal lounges to collaboration areas and formal workstations. Stripping the building back to its early 1900s glory - when it was an iconic boutique department store - was at the core of the team's approach to this project.

The result is a functional yet creative design that allows daylight to flood the space without being blocked by walls or office dividers. The removable furniture systems allow long-term flexibility within the space, ensuring minimal lifecycle costs.

In their comments, the WAN Workspace Interiors jury noted how the space had been personalised by the people that worked there. They had adapted it in a way that suited their needs, rather than having to follow a 'scripted' use set out by the design of the space.

Thursday 22 November 2012HASSELL recognised as leader in renewable energy

HASSELL has been recognised as a leading innovator and pioneer in the procurement of renewable energy in a global study launched this week in Sydney. The Corporate Renewable Energy Index (CREX) 2012 produced by Bloomberg New Energy Finance and Vestas ranks companies according to their voluntary renewable energy procurement. The 2012 survey covered more than 300 companies from 26 countries, including organisations such as Ikea, BMW, Google, IBM, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Sony and Coca-Cola.

In 2011, HASSELL purchased 62% (1,203MWH) of its electricity from renewable sources. This, combined with other carbon reduction initiatives including energy efficiency programs, has seen carbon emissions drop by 32% over a four-year period. Brett Pollard, Head of Knowledge and Sustainability, said that the decision to purchase renewable energy was made "not just to reduce the carbon emissions from our studios but also to help drive the transition of the energy sector towards clean, renewable energy sources."

In addition to purchasing renewable energy and reducing its carbon footprint, HASSELL is also investing in research into a low carbon built environment through its support of the Co-operative Research Centre (CRC) for Low Carbon Living. The CRC brings together over 50 research institutions, government agencies and industry organisations to develop new social, technical and policy tools for reducing carbon emissions in the built environment.

More information about the CRC for Low Carbon Living is available here.

Phil Hannaford, Singapore-based HASSELL Director, has welcomed the practice's success in winning two recent workplace projects for the Singapore government.

HASSELL is providing interior design and landscape architecture in a consortium with AWP and AECOM, for the new headquarters building of the Ministry of National Development, which is in charge of formulating and implementing Singapore's land use planning and infrastructure development policies.

The design for MND is rooted in the concept of a living office. The 22,000 square metre workplace is spread across ten floors and houses the ministry's three key agencies, each with its own identity and culture. The living office concept enables an active physical network that connects different parts of the overall workplace, allowing the different agencies to link together as a cohesive unit. The project is due for completion in the first quarter of 2014, and will target the emerging GreenMark Platinum+ sustainability rating.

The second interior design project has HASSELL in a consortium with ATA and WSP Ng for Singapore's Economic Development Board, which represents Singapore to the global business and investment community. The role of EDB is to plan and execute strategies to build and sustain Singapore as a global business centre, and grow the country's economy.

The 10,000 square metre in-situ workspace fitout for EDB was developed around the concept of a kaleidoscope – controlling and shifting light, colours and shapes into changing patterns over time, symbolising the ever-changing EDB approach to fulfill its task of sustaining and improving Singapore's economic standing. The project is due for completion in the third quarter of 2013.

The HASSELL studio in London hosted a Workplace Futures Forum this week.

The forum was presented by HASSELL Managing Director Rob Backhouse and Head of Knowledge and Sustainability Steve Coster. They spoke on workplace design leadership, focusing on Australia and Asia's standing.

The forum examined how today's competitive market and challenging economic climate are leading organisations to recognise the value of workplaces that communicate brand, underpin culture and foster business performance.

Workplace clients, developers, consultants, project managers and workplace knowledge leaders joined the HASSELL workplace team in the London studio for a lively discussion about global trends in workplace design and to share their expertise and experience within the UK.

The forum attendees then joined our associates, colleagues and clients at the SCIN Gallery next door to experience Around the World in 14 Studios - the inaugural HASSELL London party and exhibition. In keeping with the theme, the event featured a menu with food and beverages from the UK, Australia, China and South-East Asia, all parts of the world that are home to 14 HASSELL studios.

Monday 12 November 2012New York Times reports on HASSELL World Architecture Festival success

The success of HASSELL at last month's World Architecture Festival (WAF) 2012 was recently reported on by the New York Times. The Chinese-language Times article noted the increase in the number of China-based projects at the prestigious event, and that the Ningbo Dongqian Lake Man-Built Islands and Tianjin Binhai Transport Interchange, both designed by HASSELL, were two of the four winning projects from China.

To date, the success of HASSELL at this year's WAF has been reported in more than 60 of the most influential and leading Chinese media, including the official People's Daily and China Daily, Soufun, the largest Chinese real estate news portal, official provincial government media Zhejiang Online and Ningbo Daily, and Hong Kong-based Phoenix Media. Many national-level and regional government department websites also carried news of the practice's wins.

HASSELL was named a joint winner of the Dongguan CBD landscape design competition this week. The Request for Proposal stated that two winners would be selected from the competition stage, with one of the practices to be commissioned to work with the client on concept design development and implementation.

The winning scheme by HASSELL envisages a liveable central business district that respects and enhances the local climate and environment. The landscape design takes into account Dongguan's sub-tropical climate and the impact from the microclimate and sunlight, achieving 40% green spaces, 60% shading area and 100% recycling of water resources.

The concept showcases Dongguan's spirit and provides its residents with an enjoyable green space in the heart of the financial district.

The HASSELL Central Park studio was one of 50 destinations that opened its doors at the inaugural Open House Perth that was held over the weekend.

The event, which began in London in 1992, encourages people to explore buildings and spaces normally closed to the public, completely for free. Open House Perth 2012 destinations were sited within a 30 minute walking radius, and are all highly accessible via public transport or walking.

The HASSELL studio was open over both days of the event and saw over 400 people come through. On display in the studio were various projects across all disciplines, with a long length montage showing the design process of the one40william project. This included a collection of drawings, sketches, renders and process models through to professional photography. Numerous other models, ranging from initial concept ideas to fully assembled city block models, were displayed in the foyer with staff volunteers on hand to talk through questions with the public.

Open House Perth, directed by young HASSELL architect Carly Barrett, exceeded all expectations with over 47,000 people attending over the weekend.

The inaugural Open House Perth will take place this coming weekend on 3 and 4 November. The event will encompass 50 destinations, including 18 buildings in the CBD, 15 design studios and 24 ‘Love your City’ destinations.

The Open House initiative was founded in London in 1992, and on the eve of its 20th anniversary, Perth has joined an international family of Open House cities including London, New York, Barcelona and Melbourne.

The event encourages people to explore buildings and spaces normally closed to the public, completely for free. Open House Perth 2012 destinations are sited within a 30 minute walking radius, and are all highly accessible via public transport or walking.

HASSELL is a platinum partner of the event and our Central Park studio will be open on both days over the weekend for visitors to come and have sneak peek into the HASSELL world.

Carly Barrett, a young architect in our Perth HASSELL studio, is the Creative Director of Perth Open House, while John Crabtree, David Gulland, Peter Lee and Khoa Do – also from our Perth studio – are members of the event’s Board.

The long term commitment to China by HASSELL is recognised in an Australian Government report released by the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard.

The report, called Australia in the Asian Century, profiles a number of companies originally founded in Australia that are successfully working in China. We are profiled under a heading that says "HASSELL seizes opportunity in Asian markets".

The report says: "HASSELL is one of the largest multidisciplinary design practices in the Asia–Pacific region, with expertise in architecture, interior design, urban planning and design, and landscape architecture. HASSELL entered the Asian market in 1991 when it acquired a Hong Kong firm, EBC. After winning early master planning and urban design commissions in China, it broadened its Chinese practice to include the full range of disciplines it offers in Australia.

Today, HASSELL is China's largest foreign multidisciplinary design practice and employs more than 250 people in studios in Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Shenzhen. Elsewhere in Asia, it has studios in Bangkok and Singapore. HASSELL has maintained its commitment to Asia since the early 1990s—even while other designers switched focus after the downturn of the late 1990s, HASSELL stayed its course. Its commitment to China has been fundamental in gaining the trust of its Chinese customers.

HASSELL has also retained control through its wholly owned entity rather than the looser arrangements chosen by less successful entrants into China. Full ownership of its practice has allowed it to bring the best of its global capabilities to bear for clients.

Scott Walker, Head of Interior Design at HASSELL, will present at the Orgatec Trend this week in Cologne, Germany.

The Orgatec Trend Forum features discussions about current themes related to the modern office environment. Experts from the fields of business, architecture, interior design, planning and consulting will be presenting examples of best practices from the modern office and working world.

In his presentation, Scott talks about two key influences currently driving workplace design:_The breakdown of barriers between the design disciplines producing unexpected and innovative design solutions including the borrowing of ideas from one project type to another_Technological and social changes impacting the way people work and their expectations of the workplace

INDEX is an RMIT Interior Design Graduate Exhibition that celebrates emerging interior design talent. Now in its 27th year, INDEX is a week-long public exhibition that takes place in a different Melbourne location each year and 2012 will see it housed in a vacant Art Deco building in the CBD.

A unique, collective expression of the students graduating in a particular year, INDEX will showcase projects spanning from the built environment on an urban scale through to curatorial, research and community-based propositions.

HASSELL is proud to be a major sponsor of the 2012 INDEX graduate exhibition and we warmly invite lovers of design to go and have a look at some of the amazing work that the graduate students have produced this year, giving us a glimpse into the future of design.

HASSELL has designed over 1,000,000 square metres of projects certified or registered under the Green Star and LEED sustainable building rating tools, including the 6 Star Green Star rated ANZ Centre and the LEED Platinum rated Google office in Mumbai.

As such, it was only natural that the practice would support and help pilot the new Green Star – Interiors pilot rating tool launched by the Green Building Council of Australia this month.

"Over the past 10 years, HASSELL has been a strong supporter of the Green Building Council of Australia and the Green Star rating tools. Our sponsorship and involvement in the development of the new Green Star - Interiors pilot rating tool provides a great opportunity to help shape the future of sustainability, not just for commercial workplaces but for a wide range of other interior project types," said Brett Pollard, Head of Knowledge and Sustainability at HASSELL.

"Our Sydney studio is moving early next year and we want our new home to be an exemplar of the latest thinking in workplace design, as well as sustainability. Being involved in piloting the new rating tool will allow us to really get to grips with the new tool and apply the lessons learnt to our clients' projects as well as our own new workplace," said Brett.

The new Green Star Interiors pilot rating tool, unlike the previous version, is able to rate all types of interiors projects including hotels, schools, universities, hospitals as well as offices. Further information about the new Interiors rating tool is available here

The old adage says never work with children or dogs. Matthew Pullinger of HASSELL is hoping the same saying doesn't apply to designers.

Matthew will be leading a group of children aged seven to twelve at Archikidz!, an architectural workshop for children being held as part of the Sydney Architecture Festival. Together they will have four hours to design and make the city of the future. Archikidz! aims to inspire, excite and educate children about architecture and the built environment.

It is a big challenge, but the children of Sydney are up for it. Over 300 signed up for Archikidz! in a day and a half, booking out the event. HASSELL is a Gold sponsor of Archikidz! which will be held in Sydney on Saturday 27 October.

"I am really looking forward to seeing what ideas the kids come up with," says Matthew. "If my kids are a guide, they have high expectations for the cities they intend to grow up in, and we all have an exciting future to look forward to."

Brett Pollard, joint Head of Knowledge and Sustainability at HASSELL, recently authored a chapter of the new book Sustainable Retrofitting of Commercial Buildings.

Published by Routledge in the United Kingdom and launched in Sydney earlier this month, the book focuses on improving the environmental sustainability of existing commercial buildings, particularly in regions with warm climates.

Brett's chapter, Solar Retrofit, explores the technical and economic feasibility of using photovoltaic panels to improve the energy performance of commercial buildings.

Based on a detailed research project into a 6,000 square metre commercial building, the chapter provides insights into design issues such as space requirements, panel tilt and orientation as well as financial aspects such as payback periods and return on investment.

Described as a "must-have guide for all involved in the design and engineering of retrofitting projects in warm climates" by reviewers, the book includes chapters written by Dr Ken Yeang from Malaysia and Professor Richard Hyde of Sydney University. Further information about the book is available here

The Common Ground Sydney project recently became the first project in New South Wales to achieve a 5 Star design rating using the Green Star Multi-unit Residential v1 standard.

The project addresses chronic homelessness by providing stable, high quality permanent housing. The building itself is indistinguishable as social housing or an institutional building but rather presents as a contemporary and comfortable living environment. Common Ground Sydney adopts the 'street to home' approach of the Common Ground model originating in New York.

Some of the sustainability initiatives that have led to the project achieving a 5 Star design rating include:_A unique natural ventilation strategy resulting in naturally ventilated apartments with ceiling fans and a central atrium with a passive stack effect to drive the ventilation system_Solar thermal panels that provide 50% of domestic hot water needs_A communal worm farm and composting facilities_Recycling of 95% of construction and demolition waste_A location well-serviced by public transport and extensive bicycle parking_Communal garden beds for residents to grow food_A plain language building users' guide to ensure people know how to make the best of the building's green features

The building achieved two innovation points for the ventilation strategy and zero car parking for residents and was recently highly commended at the 2012 World Architecture Festival in the Housing category.

HASSELL worked with developer and builder Grocon on a pro-bono basis to prepare preliminary design feasibility studies, before providing full design services at cost to Housing NSW. Many other specialists also contributed to the project on an 'at cost' basis which fostered a collaborative approach throughout its delivery.

If you would like more information on this project or to find out about tours of the building, please contact James Sandwith jsandwith@hassellstudio.com

Monday 15 October 2012HASSELL participates in Green Building and Energy Efficiency Conference

HASSELL participated in the recent International Green Building and Energy Efficiency Conference, held for the fifth time in Shanghai and attracting more than 5,000 delegates this year.

In conjunction with the conference, the HASSELL studio in Shanghai hosted 60 conference delegates at the studio to learn about how the space had been converted from a motorcycle factory into a LEED Gold-rated open-plan workspace. The guests included representatives from the property industry, planning bureaus and green building councils from numerous cities.

The HASSELL studio in Cardiff was recognised at the Best of Welsh Design Awards over the weekend for turning the top floor of an unloved 1970s building into its new studio.

The Best of Welsh Design Awards is part of the two-week long Cardiff Design Festival and is judged by an international panel of design experts and previous winners of the award.

Similar to other HASSELL studios, the Cardiff studio is another re-use of existing space and is a physical demonstration of the practice's commitment to design environmentally responsible and sustainable communities.

Other examples of similar projects include the HASSELL studios in Brisbane, Melbourne and Shanghai which are accommodated in disused existing buildings which include a former bakery, a bread storage and factory and motorcycle factory assembly shed.

The approach to fitting out the open plan Cardiff studio was one of minimal intervention, stripping back and revealing the existing concrete structure and creating a datum display wall separated from the floor and concrete ceiling. The light fittings are minimal in size and neutral in tone, while the furniture is loose and easily adaptable to the changing needs of the work space.

"The studio has now been occupied for several months and we've received favourable comments from all our visitors. We're very proud to have won this recognition from our local and international industry peers," said Kieren Morgan, HASSELL Principal in the Cardiff studio.

The Cardiff Design Festival Awards ceremony was held on Saturday over an afternoon high tea party. As well as receiving a certificate, winners were able to choose from a selection of second hand tea pots – the HASSELL team naturally chose the most architectural looking teapot. Is this a classic case of form over function?

Tony Grist, Head of Architecture at HASSELL, has been re-appointed as a Civic Trust Architect Assessor for Westminster, London in 2013.

Launched in 1959, the Civic Trust Awards is one of the oldest built environment award schemes in Europe. From cafes and churches through to housing and hospitals, the Civic Trust Awards have acknowledged over 6,500 projects that have made a positive cultural, social or economic contribution to the local community.

"I'm pleased to be re-appointed as an assessor for the Civic Trust Awards," said Tony. "They are unique and recognise some of the best projects in the built environment, from architecture to planning, townscape to infrastructure. But more than this, they recognise the public realm in its wider context and our continuing belief that development should be for the benefit of people," he said.

Results and outcomes will be announced in January 2013 with the winners revealed at the Civic Trust Awards Ceremony on 9 March 2013 in Cardiff.

The People's Choice Award enables the public to vote for their favourite designer or design practice in a range of categories. The winner will be announced at the IDEA Gala Party on 9 November at the Seymour Centre in Sydney.

In addition, the Common Ground Housing project in Sydney, Australia, received a High Commendation in the Houses category.

"It is great to have our work recognised on the world stage amid such competition. It is testimony to both our talented designers and the trust placed in us by fantastic clients," said Rob Backhouse, Managing Director of HASSELL.

The three winning projects will now go into the super jury competition for Future Project of the Year, which will be announced tonight.

This year's festival has seen presentations for 301 shortlisted entries, with over 1,750 architects attending from more than 60 countries. It includes a wide range of talks and seminars by some of the world's leading designers and the opportunity for delegates to network with other architects from around the world.

The 2012 World Architecture Festival (WAF) is underway in Singapore, with a series of awards already being announced and a wide range of events taking place over the past few days.

Among the award announcements, the HASSELL-designed Common Ground Housing project in Sydney was highly commended in the House category. The project addresses chronic homelessness by providing stable, high quality permanent housing and the HASSELL involvement in the project was partly on a pro-bono basis.

Tuesday night at WAF saw the traditional Pecha Kucha event, while Wednesday was the first official day of the Festival.

The first keynote speaker was architect and urban designer Moshe Safdie. He talked on the topic of invention, fitness and humanising the megascale. The second keynote speaker was architect and writer Peter Buchanan, who talked about rethinking architecture for the future.

Peter Duncan, HASSELL Chairman, was interviewed before the beginning of the Festival by Singapore's The Straits Times, and he noted that hosting the event is an acknowledgement of Singapore's international standing in urban practice and design.

Peter also noted that HASSELL is extremely honoured to be shortlisted for ten awards at the Festival, making HASSELL one of the firms with the most award entries in WAF this year.

"The projects are in categories spanning housing, residential, master planning and infrastructure, a reflection of the calibre, depth and range of our work. A third of our shortlisted projects are from China and this also reflects our leadership position in the various design fields," he said.

China has been experiencing rapid urban development over the past few decades with many millions of people moving from rural areas into new and growing cities.

These processes have huge social, environmental and infrastructure implications which need to be addressed through urban planning and design to ensure a sustainable future for China.

HASSELL has been present in China for over 20 years and has worked on many significant urban development projects.

Three recent projects that address various urban design issues in China are the Shenzhen Affordable Housing Design Competition, Man Built Islands at Dongqian Lake and the Tianjin Binhai Transport Interchange.

The Shenzhen Affordable Housing Design Competition called for a solution to house the city's huge transient working population comprising a large proportion of young people, in particular single women. The city is rapidly running out of space, with only limited land available to house future population growth. The competition brief called for ideas that relate to three scales of thinking – 1 unit, 100 families, 10,000 people.

The HASSELL scheme adopts the concept of "reciprocal living", whereby people are able to interact with each other, share experiences as well as spaces, and develop a stronger sense of community. This idea is applied at each of the three scales of the project.

HASSELL is also participating in the development and design of the Man-Built Islands at Dongqian Lake. Intense usage of the Dongqian lakeside areas for tourism is leading to significant negative impacts on the environment - the depletion of natural resources, the pollution of waterways and the reduced health of the lake's fish population. The long-term viability of the tourism industry, which relies heavily on the natural features of the surrounding area, is also affected. The HASSELL scheme seeks to develop a more sustainable approach to tourism for Dongqian Lake, especially the opportunity for increased interaction of people with the environment.

Tianjin is one of the largest cities in China and is rapidly expanding. As a result, the Tinajin Binhai Transport Interchange is a vital infrastructure project. It will be a planned point of interchange between high-speed rail, three metro lines, local and regional bus services and taxi services. The public domain design by HASSELL aims to seamlessly integrate these services through connections above and below the plaza surface, opening lines of sight between the previously planned entry points and the creation of a series of strategic spatial manoeuvres that will provide for comfortable and efficient passenger movement.

Shenzhen Affordable Housing Design Competition, Man Built Islands and the Tianjin Binhai Transport Interchange have been shortlisted for at the World Architecture Festival awards to be held in Singapore this week.

Scott Walker, Head of Interior Design at HASSELL, will present at the Orgatec Trend Forum next month in Cologne, Germany.

The Orgatec Trend Forum features discussions about current themes related to the modern office environment. Experts from the fields of business, architecture, interior design, planning and consulting will be presenting examples of best practices from the modern office and working world.

Scott's talk, entitled "Workplace – a place in the landscape", will explore how the success of organisations in the future will be a direct reflection of their ability to respond to market forces. Of key importance is an organisation's ability to manoeuvre its teams around the fluent needs of an international community. It's becoming increasingly clear that workplace design is playing a key role in coping with the challenges facing organisational performance. Tomorrow's workplace must respond to the diverse way in which people live and balance their work and home lives.

Thursday 27 September 2012London studio recognised at World Architecture Festival

The HASSELL London studio has been recognised at this year's World Architecture Festival (WAF), with two projects from the studio shortlisted for awards.

Cronton Colliery and Route de Meyrin CERN Campus are in the running to win awards at the Festival, to be held in Singapore next week (3-5 October). The projects will be presented at WAF by Tony Grist, the Head of Architecture at HASSELL, who is now based in London.

Both projects demonstrate the strong Landscape Architecture capabilities of the London studio and the innovative conceptual work being produced by the team there.

HASSELL was one of four finalists shortlisted in the Royal Institute of British Architects competition to design a new visitor destination on a disused coal mine – the former Cronton Colliery at Knowlsey near Manchester. The HASSELL vision for the site is for a world class, sustainable park. At its heart is a new community and new connections to the surrounding countryside and its communities.

CERN is a cutting edge technology and research centre in Geneva, a place of 'firsts' and incredible discoveries. As such, it deserves to have a world first in public realm, and this was the inspiration for the design of Route de Meyrin – the streets and central square that bind and tie together the existing campus and its disparate collection of buildings and elements.

The HASSELL proposal 'de-clutters' the campus and reconstructs the public face of the site. There are two parts to the proposal – reconnecting CERN to its context by planting a small forest (BOIS CERN) and creating a central square which is effectively a clearing in the forest.

HASSELL has a total of ten projects shortlisted for awards at the World Architecture Festival.

Rob Backhouse, HASSELL Managing Director, and Mark Loughnan, Principal, are also representing the practice as judges at WAF. Joining them in Singapore will be seven other HASSELL people, who will be presenting their nominated projects.

HASSELL participated in the Adelaide edition of international PARK(ing) Day last week, with Ben Willsmore and Alex Hall from the Adelaide HASSELL studio both co-ordinators of the event, supported by Adelaide City Council.

PARK(ing) Day is a global event originating from San Francisco that calls on artists, designers and citizens to transform their city's metered parking spaces into temporary public parks. It is based on the idea that paying a parking meter is like 'renting' a public space – instead of parking a car, why not park something else.

"Overall the event was a success. We had even more parkers in Adelaide than last year's record number and we could see and feel the great impact the event had on the city," said Alex.

HASSELL exhibited a unique concept at PARK(ing) Day named Re-Do. Made of ice, the exhibit was set in traffic cone moulds and played on the parking and traffic theme.

The idea was to create something that would disappear by the end of the day, with the exhibit having as little impact on the environment as possible by being created from a non-permanent material.

"Re-Do was easily understood by the public who took great interest in the installation as it changed over the course of the day. It was great to see people leaving our park questioning...why do we always build with permanent materials?" said Alex.

Thursday 20 September 2012HASSELL is PARK(ing) in Adelaide this Friday

In what has become an annual tradition, HASSELL is participating in International PARK(ing) Day this Friday.

PARK(ing) Day is a global event calling on artists, designers and citizens to transform their city's metered parking spaces into temporary public parks. It is based on the idea that paying a parking meter is like 'renting' a public space – instead of parking a car, why not park something else.

Ben Willsmore and Alex Hall from HASSELL are both co-ordinators of the Adelaide PARK(ing) Day, which is supported by the Adelaide City Council. HASSELL will also be exhibiting a unique concept at the event.

"Our idea was to create something that disappears by the end of the day," said Alex. "We often use terms like reuse, recycle, reconstruct and retrofit in relation to sustainability, but these approaches still have a significant impact on the environment, as temporary structures are usually made from permanent materials. Our team thought – why not make our exhibit from temporary materials and minimise the impact on the environment."

The HASSELL exhibit, named Re-Do, is made of ice, set in traffic cone moulds - it's a play on the parking and traffic theme. The temporary ice exhibit will melt away by the end of the day.

Last year, there were 850 PARKs in 183 cities in 30 countries. Adelaide alone had 37 PARKs – the third highest number for any city in the world. The 2012 event is set to be even bigger and better.

"PARK(ing) Day encourages us to get creative, use our imagination and think beyond standard uses of city space," said Ben.

If you're in Adelaide on Friday 21 September, be sure to check it out.

Tony Grist recently presented at a forum called Moving in Cardiff, organised by the Design Commission for Wales. His talk covered the area around Central Station and how the development of a transport hub can lead to the reinvention of a neglected part of the city fabric.

Tony's expertise in transport and urban design, the HASSELL integrated design approach, and the input of HASSELL Cardiff Studio, meant he was able to outline an integrated approach to the area balancing commercial interests, local heritage, strategic transport initiatives, and new approaches to urban typology in creating public spaces.

"Hub Central is a shining example of a student-led approach to design and reflects a fundamental shift in design for tertiary education," said Mariano.

"It responds to a move within higher education toward smaller teaching groups, more intimate group assignments, increased use of video streaming and less formal and face-to-face interaction," he said.

On Wednesday 19 September Mark Roehrs will present the University of Queensland's ambitious Global Change Institute project – one that targets zero energy, zero carbon and zero water.

The Global Change Institute will be one of the first buildings to seek certification in Australia under the Living Building Challenge sustainability criteria.

"This building marks a major shift away from the traditional building as a consumer of resources toward a new generation building that actually contributes toward environmental regeneration," said Mark.

The long term commitment to China by HASSELL is recognised in a new report by the global management consultancy firm, the Boston Consulting Group.

HASSELL is one of 13 businesses profiled in the report, Imagining Australia in the Asian Century. All 13 "exemplify what it will take to claim an Asian future", according to Ross Love, BCG's Senior Partner and Managing Director.

"They are part of a vanguard of companies leading the way based on observable competitive advantages, understandable patterns of Asian needs and constant innovation of their customer proposition and business models," he wrote. "Above all, these companies share a vision of an interconnected future."

In 1991, HASSELL opened a Hong Kong studio by acquiring a local firm, EBC. We opened in Shanghai in 2003 and today employ over 250 people in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Beijing and Chongquin. We have won projects in some 30 Chinese cities.

In its profile of HASSELL, the BCG report says: "HASSELL has maintained its commitment to Asia since the early 1990s. Where other designers switched their focus to the Middle East after the Asian downturn of the late 1990s, HASSELL stayed the course in Asia. Its enduring commitment to China has been fundamental to understanding and gaining the trust of its Chinese customers."

The report says Asian clients value "local specialisation in concert with regional advantage – the ability to specialise a product or service to meet local preferences while offering regional capability."

Thursday 13 September 2012Brookfield Place redefines the Perth city skyline

Brookfield Place Perth, designed by HASSELL and Fitzpatrick + Partners, was officially opened tonight in a project that transforms the Australian city's central business district.

Five years after design work began, the Governor of Western Australia, His Excellency Malcolm McCusker, and the Lord Mayor of Perth, Lisa Scaffidi, unveiled a plaque and declared the development open.

The development is fully built, owned and operated by Brookfield. The centerpiece is a 45 storey tower, home to 3,000 employees of BHP Billiton, who were previously located across 24 different sites. BHP Billiton occupies 60,000 square metres of workplace on 34 floors, all designed by HASSELL.

The building is a strong, substantial presence on the Perth skyline. It is a confident assertion of BHP Billiton's key role in the city and in the economy of Western Australia.

The tower utilises its structural elements to create a clear simple statement with a system of super sized trusses to control lateral movement clearly visible on the east and west elevations. Although it sits on a podium, the tower has been designed to be seen from a number of selected points by people walking around the building. Glazed lifts move up and down the northern façade, passing through the lower level podium to arrive in the lobby. They are clearly visible from the surrounding city streets, particularly at night.

The BHP Billiton workplace was based on a strategic brief developed for BHP Billiton by HASSELL and workplace consultants DEGW.

"We set out to design a high performance, flexible environment that supports mobility, change, communication and knowledge sharing," said Caroline Diesner, who led the HASSELL workplace design team on the project. "It also had to be somewhere people enjoy working. BHP Billiton employees have responded very positively."

The workplace levels have floor to ceiling windows, offering exceptional views, including across the Swan River to the south. Nearly all employees are within 10 metres of natural daylight. Many are connected by internal stairs that link the working floors. The "top deck" Level 45 is a communal floor open to all employees. It offers a wide range of different spaces for individual working, casual meeting spaces and video conferencing facilities as well as areas for people to relax or eat their lunch.

Despite the scale of the tower, Brookfield Place provides a pleasing human scale experience at ground level. The tower sits behind a row of meticulously restored heritage buildings on St Georges Terrace that had been boarded up for 25 years.

Bars and restaurants have taken over the heritage buildings and a series of alfresco spaces behind them. Bridging elements link those spaces to the HASSELL designed public realm that leads to the office tower foyer and a high quality food court. The result is a precinct that brings new life into the central business district.

"In Perth we have an indoor-outdoor lifestyle, but until now we didn't have it in the centre of the city," said Andrew Low, HASSELL Project Leader for Brookfield Place. "Bringing life back into the city and activating the precinct from day to night was very important. Brookfield saw that this development could do just that and we worked closely with them to realise this vision."

Melbourne Airport recently unveiled the HASSELL design for the planned development of the airport Southern Precinct at their annual stakeholder event. A team from the Melbourne and Sydney HASSELL studios has been working closely with the airport to plan the precinct and future landside movement of vehicles and people that will help realise the airport's vision of doubling passenger numbers in the next twenty years.

The first stage of the development comprises a new domestic terminal and pier, a new forecourt and multi-level transport ground interchange including a car park, all being designed by HASSELL. The scheme, designed to accommodate domestic airlines, looks to substantially improve the passenger experience.

The design by HASSELL for the new Terminal 4 will deliver an efficient operational mode and greatly enhanced retail opportunities. In addition, it offers further value by considering modular expansion and future integration with Terminal 3, therefore maximising all opportunities for shared security, check-in and baggage facilities and airside retail.

The terminal engages with the landscaped forecourt and the airfield whilst being commercially and amenity focused to align with the airport's business model. As such, this terminal is one of a new generation of hybrid facilities that is a platform for a variety of airline business models as well as providing an improved experience and amenity for passengers.

HASSELL Principals Steve Coster, Mariano DeDuonni and David Homburg last week hosted a group of commercial property industry leaders in Adelaide for a tour of two of Australia's exemplar projects, SA Water House and The University of Adelaide Learning Hub. These two projects represent best practice thinking in workplace strategy and design - SA Water House being an example of design influencing workplace culture and the University students affecting workplace change as the employees and employers of the future.

SA Water House, completed in 2008, is a winner of more than ten national sustainability and commercial architecture awards and saw a post-occupancy reduction in sick leave of 30 per cent after just one year. Bringing together separate business units into one organisational community via an open-plan environment was a key goal for the building's design. Staff were extensively consulted throughout the briefing and design phases and over 80% of all staff participated in this process.

The University of Adelaide Learning Hub was designed to transform the student experience; an ambitious learning and information space that represents the latest test bed self-learning environment for students. Since opening in October last year, it has redefined campus life to reflect the social, technological and educational expectations of an increasingly savvy student population. It also represents a prototype of the self organising workplaces of the future - a more organic and 'free-range' development of activity-based working.

The tour was part of an ongoing program of research and knowledge development HASSELL undertakes together with its clients and collaborators. For more information on either of these projects or future tours, please contact Karen Johnson at kjohnson@hassellstudio.com

The upgrades to the Brisbane Airport Domestic Terminal were officially opened this week by Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Anthony Albanese MP.

HASSELL was engaged in 2007 to design the Brisbane Airport Domestic Terminal Expansion providing capacity for pedestrians, cars and services to meet demands projected for 2030. The upgrades include a new nine-storey car park, a common user satellite and a 'skywalk' that connects the car park and domestic terminal.

The A$125m multi-level car park holds 5,300 spaces over nine levels. The design was driven by a strong sustainability agenda and some key initiatives include natural ventilation and lighting, rainwater collection and minimisation of carbon emissions through better traffic design and management.

The A$25m terminal access 'skywalk' connects the new multi-level car park to the existing terminal. It is an elevated walkway which eliminates pedestrian-vehicle conflict and transforms the landside precinct.

The A$30m common user satellite forms part of the Domestic Terminal Expansion and was completed in 2011. The satellite has increased the size and number of passenger gate lounges, in addition to enhancing passenger amenities and increasing the number of aircraft parking bays and links to aircraft.

Artwork plays an important role in the new elements of the airport. The Butterflies is a kinetic artwork display that was designed by HASSELL Associate Louise Pearson. It hangs in the skylights of the new boarding lounge and features almost 100 one metre wide, laser-cut butterflies that have been coloured with brass and bronze patinas.

HASSELL also collaborated with artist Ned Kahn on the Brisbane Airport Domestic Terminal car park. Ned's artwork forms the east facade of the car park and is made from a lightweight, permeable metal screen consisting of 117,643 aluminium panels. The wind flowing across the screen causes the plates to swing, creating a beautiful rippling surface that gives visual form to the wind.

Australian Greens Deputy Leader and MP, Adam Bandt, presented opportunities under the government's Clean Energy Future Package at a forum held for industry leaders at the HASSELL Melbourne studio this morning.

He detailed several measures negotiated by the Greens under the Clean Energy Future Package, some of which commenced in July 2012.

During the session, Mr Bandt also reflected on the opportunities Australia has to capitalise on its unique climate to harness and use alternative energy sources.

He pointed to the example of Germany which has become a standout country in the shift to a low carbon economy, despite having less natural advantages to tap alternative energy than Australia.

Adam Bandt is the Federal Member of Parliament for Melbourne. He was elected in 2010 when he made history by becoming the first Greens MP elected to the House of Representatives at a general election.

The forum was hosted by HASSELL Principal John Miller and was the fifth in a series of Green Start breakfasts hosted by HASSELL. Please register your interest in attending future Green Start forums to be held in Melbourne.

Monday 20 August 2012AILA award for HASSELL envisioning and sustainability system

The LESS System (Local-area Envisioning and Sustainability-scoring System), developed by HASSELL, has been recognised in the 2012 AILA National Landscape Architecture Awards for its excellence in research and communication.

LESS is a design decision-making framework developed to generate sustainable design solutions that lessen emissions, use of resources, and social disparity. It enables integrated mapping, measuring and monitoring of sustainability in urban areas across the four domains: social, infrastructure, governance and environmental. This allows for a triple bottom-line assessment in both the built environment and society, along with diagnosis of problems, and identification of strengths, weaknesses and successes in policy and planning.

HASSELL Spatial Technologies Leader, Arvind Varshney, has driven the LESS research and development program since mid-2008. The system has been applied to several projects to elicit vital information from existing data, ranging from creating new indicators of sustainability and indices that inform strategic decision-making, to comprehensive analysis of sustainability of existing precincts and their renewal design solutions.

LESS is an invaluable decision-making tool for landscape architects, urban planners and designers, and all levels of governance. It is scheduled for public release in December 2012.

The new BHP Billiton tower in Perth, Western Australia, is fostering new life and activity in the heart of the city's central business district.

Designed by HASSELL and Fitzpatrick + Partners, the tower rises 45 floors above St Georges Terrace. It sits at the centre of Brookfield Place, a new precinct that brings Western Australia's "indoor-outdoor" lifestyle into the heart of the city.

Thousands of people stream through the precinct each day to work in the tower and adjacent buildings, or to eat and drink at restaurants and bars as well as a high quality food court wrapped around the base of the tower. Pathways through the precinct link St Georges Terrace to the city bus station behind the office tower.

The restaurants and bars have brought new life to a row of heritage buildings on St Georges Terrace that had been boarded up for 25 years. Diners and drinkers spill out on to a series of alfresco spaces behind the heritage buildings. Bridging elements link those spaces to the HASSELL designed public realm between the heritage buildings and the new office tower.

"As a designer, it is a great privilege to be able to shape an entire precinct," said Andrew Low, HASSELL Project Leader for Brookfield Place. "Our client, Brookfield, could see the opportunity to make a real difference to the city. The quality of the design outcome matches the calibre of their brand, and as such they have renamed the development Brookfield Place.

"In Perth we have an indoor-outdoor lifestyle, but previously we didn't have it in the centre of the city. We do now. Bringing life back into the city and activating the precinct from day to night was very important."

The office tower puts BHP Billiton's stamp on the city and is the new workplace for 3,000 company employees who were previously scattered across 24 different sites. BHP Billiton occupies 60,000 square metres on 34 floors, all designed by HASSELL.

The design was based on a strategic brief developed for BHP Billiton by HASSELL and workplace consultants DEGW. The design objectives were to promote a global company identity and create a high performance, flexible environment that supports mobility, change and innovation, transparency and inclusiveness, and communication and knowledge sharing.

The workplace floors maximise opportunities for collaboration across teams and business units. Staircases connect each floor and floor-to-ceiling windows mean nearly all employees are within 10 metres of natural daylight.

The "top deck" Level 45 is a communal floor open to all employees. It offers a wide range of different spaces for individual working, casual meeting spaces and video conferencing facilities as well as areas for people to relax or eat their lunch.

"We set out to design somewhere that people would enjoy working in," said Caroline Diesner, who led the HASSELL workplace design team on the project. "It is fantastic to see people reacting so positively to the building."

Thursday 16 August 2012PODCAST_Wade Sutton on By Design discussion panel

Wade Sutton, a Senior Associate in the HASSELL Sydney studio, joined a panel discussion on the design of operating theatres on ABC Radio National's By Design program on Wednesday 15 August.

The panel, hosted by Fenella Kernabone, discussed how operating theatre design is changing to keep pace with rapid technological and clinical advances and how good design also improves the working environment for clinical and nursing staff.

Wade has over 20 years of experience in healthcare planning, design and procurement of complex healthcare environments and offered his perspective on these issues.

Joining him on the panel were Professor Guy Maddern, Surgical Director, Australian Safety and Efficacy Register of New Interventional Procedures in Surgery, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and Tracy Kerle, Nurse Manager, Gosford Hospital, NSW.

Thursday 16 August 2012Frame Fill Wrap at Saturday in Design this weekend

HASSELL and emerging graphic design studio Condensed are working together with Space Furniture on Frame Fill Wrap, an installation that will feature at Saturday in Design, to be held this weekend in Melbourne.

Get ready for a spatial interaction that is as much about hiding and discovering as it is about showing off. The installation, hosted at Space's Richmond showroom, will be a slow reveal that begins at street level and will guide visitors on a journey to discover what is really going on below the surface.

"We're excited to be working with Space and Condensed on this installation that we hope will both challenge and inspire visitors," said Cara Gabriel, one of the designers from HASSELL working on project

A hint as to what it's actually all about?

"Let's just say the starting point of the design is a certain piece of furniture," said Daniel Ballin, also from the HASSELL team.

Saturday in Design is an annual trade event for the design community, which began in Sydney in 2003, and now alternates each year between Sydney and Melbourne. This year in 2012, Saturday in Design celebrates its 10th anniversary.

Head on down to Space Furniture on Saturday 18 August between 9am and 5pm, or Sunday 19 August between 11am and 5pm to check out Frame Fill Wrap. for more information on Saturday in Design and other events, vist www.saturdayindesign.com.au.

Elva is a trained architect and interior designer who is highly regarded within the hospitality sector as a practice and design leader. In returning to Shanghai, Elva will reestablish a long term market understanding and an outstanding design passion.

Friday 10 August 2012Wade Sutton on By Design discussion panel next week

Wade Sutton, a Senior Associate in the HASSELL Sydney studio, has been invited to join the discussion panel for ABC's Radio National weekly design program, By Design, hosted by Fenella Kernabone.

The panel will discuss how the design of operating theatres is changing due to technological and procedural advances and how philosophical shifts, such as the development of patient-focused delivery of care, and working conditions for clinical and nursing staff have improved.

Wade will be offering the panel his perspective on some of the considerations and challenges of these issues. He has over 20 years of experience in healthcare planning, design and procurement of complex healthcare environments.

Joining him on the panel will also be a surgeon and a member of one of the peak bodies for peri-operative nursing. They will give listeners an insight into the day-to-day practicalities of implementing and using new technologies and procedures.

The program will go live to air on Wednesday 15 August, 2.30-3pm AEST.

Tuesday 7 August 2012HASSELL wins architecture competition for Shenyang Hutai New Town

HASSELL has won an international competition to design one of northeast China's largest, state-of-the-art ecological urban centres.

Located in the capital of Liaoning province in China's industrial heartland, the 128-square kilometre Shenyang Hutai New Town is one of the city's largest and most cutting-edge ecological and natural urban centres.

Situated on the edge of a lake that spreads over 67 hectares, Phase One of the project encompasses a 100,000-square metre architecture design project comprising an administrative and planning hall, a cultural exchange centre, a music hall and a business and convention hotel.

Conveying modernity while paying tribute to the cultural and historical fabric of one of the most pristine and untouched areas of the country, the first phase of the project is due for completion end-2013.

The design by HASSELL establishes an interactive link with users and nature, combining civic and natural elements to create an un-obtrusive, vibrant yet elegant eco-urban space, with each individual architectural design enhancing the character of the whole.

Besides this Shenyang project, HASSELL recently completed the Palm Island project, an integrated commercial-retail development in Chongqing that combines retail space, residential and commercial towers in a seamless lifestyle experience.

HASSELL also spearheaded the large-scale JiNing Huan Bi Quan Commercial Development in Shandong province and designed part of the Hangzhou Xintiandi Development in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

HASSELL was successful at the Outstanding Greater China Design Awards this weekend, winning two awards in the Spatial Design Category for ABN Amro (Hong Kong) and Temple Restaurant in Beijing. The Awards are an annual event and are presented in Hong Kong.

Tuesday 31 July 2012A ground-breaking building for Melbourne's Docklands

A 1,000 square metre park will welcome staff and visitors to the new Medibank building in Melbourne's Docklands, currently being designed by HASSELL for developer Cbus Property.

The park will be the main arrival point for Medibank and act as a gateway to the entire precinct. It will feature a multi-purposecourt, entertainment area and an 'edible' garden for Medibank's staff.

The building will be triangular in shape and clad in planted green walls. The shape is conceived from two side core buildings that merge around a central atrium to bring in light to all levels. External terrace spaces and planting accentuate the tower form of the building.

HASSELL Melbourne Managing Principal Ingrid Bakker said the building would be a landmark adjacent to Melbourne's Etihad Stadium and the elevated footbridge that links the stadium to Southern Cross station.

"It will also be a great place to work," she said. "Medibank provided an inspirational brief based on its 'for better health' brand. They want a building that promotes employee health and encourages healthy lifestyles, a workplace that serves as an exemplar of a healthy work environment.

"Our design responds to the brief, creating a workplace that employees will want to work in."

Medibank will occupy 30,000 square metres and other tenants a total of 16,000 square metres in the 20 storey building. HASSELL are also designing the interior of the floors occupied by Medibank.

"The workplace design will be carefully tailored to the way people at Medibank want to work," said Ingrid Bakker. "It will foster teamwork and collaboration and allow very efficient use of the space.

"The design process has been very collaborative with HASSELL, Cbus Property and Medibank all working towards a shared vision – a fantastic workplace in a beautiful, sustainable building that brings new life and energy to Docklands."

Jamie Brewster, a Senior Associate in our Cardiff studio, was recently appointed an Advocate in Practice for the Design Commission for Wales.

The role of an Advocate is essentially acting as an 'emissary' of the Design Commission to assist them to advance their key messages about design quality in the built environment. Advocates have a relaxed mandate – there are no fixed agendas, actions or requirements, just the obligation to promote good design through access to like-minded professionals via regular forums and events.

The current group of Advocates is a diverse group of people, consisting of urban designers, landscape architects and local authority planning officers as well as architects and academics. The focus is on the built environment as a cohesive whole (from buildings, across landscapes to infrastructure), which is why it is so important that there is a wide range of group members.

The Advocates group also takes advantage of the network to begin to collaborate on initiatives and recent examples include engaging with several schools and education authorities as well as running design workshops with local developers.

“I’m really excited to be part of the Design Commission for Wales as it allows me to go beyond the day-to-day project thinking and gives HASSELL the opportunity to contribute to a wider design context. The work of the Commission is also really tightly aligned with the core values of our practice,” said Jamie.

Tianjin Binhai Transport Interchange in Tianjin, China, is just one of 10 HASSELL designed projects shortlisted for awards at the World Architecture Festival 2012.

The awards program is a major part of the three-day festival of architecture - the largest event of its type, dedicated to celebrating and sharing architectural excellence from across the globe. This year the festival is being held in October in Singapore. It is the first time it has been held outside of Europe.

HASSELL Chairman Peter Duncan was featured in Hong Kong's leading newspaper, the South China Morning Post, talking about workplace wellness and the integral role it plays in the HASSELL business strategy and the company's international expansion.

Peter shared how he extended his personal fitness ethos to the practice, putting in dedicated spin cycle stations in the Shanghai studio and providing instructor-led classes for employees to promote a healthy lifestyle. HASSELL also sponsors employees in its Hong Kong and mainland China studios to take part in the Great Wall marathon in Beijing each year.

"I love running in Chinese cities as they change so quickly; being able to explore a city with a morning run is a wonderful way to start the day," he said.

A healthier workplace not only improves productivity and the quality of work at HASSELL, it also encapsulates the company's design philosophy, Peter said. Clients are also increasingly seeing the value of the HASSELL approach.

"Ten years ago, business in China was geared toward indulgent activities such as banquets and karaoke,'' Peter is quoted as saying. "Being recognised and associated with a different path reinforces a point of difference in the culture of our practice, which I think is really important."

"I believe sport and fitness give us a strong sense of balance. Since working in China, I have found that projects are large, complicated and demanding. For me, being fit and healthy makes me more resilient," Peter said.

The one40william building in Perth has been awarded a 2012 International Architecture Award by The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.

The International Architectural Awards is a distinguished building awards program that honours new and cutting-edge design. This annual program also promotes international architecture and design to a global audience.

The 2012 Jury for Awards was held in Oslo, Norway and 81 projects from 28 nations were selected by a group of leading Norwegian architects and educators.

one40william is one of Perth's most significant and influential projects, setting a benchmark in environmentally sustainable design and bringing new life to the city's retail centre.

In October, 2012, The Chicago Athenaeum, together with The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies will present a special exhibition of all awarded buildings at the annual The City and the World symposium in Istanbul, Turkey, in conjunction with the Istanbul Biennial.

Friday 13 July 2012Mark Wolfe asked to judge the world's best airports

HASSELL Principal Mark Wolfe was recently asked to be a member on an international panel appointed to review the standout airport projects around the globe in the past year.

The panel was brought together by Passenger Terminal World, the leading international airport publication. Mark was joined on the panel by designers from other leading airport terminal design firms such as Aeroports de Paris, KPF and HOK, together with airport CEOs, journalists and the Director General for Transport of the European Union.

Mark's appointment to the panel recognised his international experience and a prolific track record at HASSELL in terminal design in the Asia Pacific region.

"Part of the reason I joined HASSELL was because of the extensive back catalogue of projects that includes the Qantas Terminal at Sydney, which I'd long admired," said Mark. "At the moment we are busy working on terminals in Perth, Melbourne and Christchurch. There is a major redevelopment of Sydney on the cards and we are looking to work in other parts of the world."

The PTW survey included two UK projects at Heathrow and Gatwick Airports that Mark was involved with before joining HASSELL.

"It was very satisfying to be asked to join the panel," Mark said. "But it was disappointing that only Wellington Airport featured from the Asia Pacific region. My aim is to ensure that we can work with the right airport clients to deliver projects that are recognised for great design, sustainability and operational efficiency. I'm positive that we will see HASSELL airport projects appear on this list in the not too distant future."

RMIT's Career Discovery Day was held at the HASSELL Melbourne studio last week.

In an effort to attract the next generation of designers to the industry, RMIT chose our studio as the perfect environment to showcase landscape architects working in a vibrant interdisciplinary design setting.

A workshop format, the Career Discover Day was a chance for students from year 10-12 to see inside HASSELL and understand what working in a busy studio environment is like.

RMIT's Discipline Head of Landscape and Architecture SueAnne Ware led the session, which included inspiring presentations about rooftop landscapes – the theme of the day – from HASSELL landscape architects Brenton Beggs, Jo Picton, Jack Barlow and Tim Muhlebach.

Other activities included a 'site visit' up to the Melbourne studio rooftop – led by Sue Anne and three RMIT students – and a model making exercise, which enabled our guests to explore their own design ideas.

Praising the Discovery Day program, Melbourne's Head of Landscape Architecture Mary Papaioannou said the day was valuable for everyone there, including the HASSELL team.

"It was inspiring for us to see such enthusiasm for design coming out of our schools and we were equally thrilled to give the kids a 'day-in-the-life of a designer' opportunity."

Steve Coster, joint Head of Knowledge and Sustainability at HASSELL, presented at the Municipal Associations of Victoria forum on Creating the Knowledge-Based Organisation for the Future, held in Melbourne this week.

Steve presented with HASSELL client Brad Krauskopf, CEO and founder of Hub Australia. In their work together, they have focused on creating knowledge through the principles of coworking, a global movement of shared workplace communities that is gathering momentum in Australia. More than a trend for freelancers, coworking reflects a dramatic change in the way organisations design their workspaces, distribute their workforces and optimise their processes for collaboration.

"Places can play a critical role in supporting communication, knowledge transfer and valuable new ideas - but they must be the right kind of places. Good design is part of getting them right," Steve said in his presentation.

A leader in workplace design, Steve is primarily interested in the strategic value architecture and the design process can offer organisations.

Rodney Uren, a HASSELL Principal who left a profound mark on the practice and on the cities of Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, has died after a long illness. He was 63.

His wonderful legacy is the many successful buildings he helped design. Perhaps the best known is Olympic Park Station, built for the 2000 Sydney Olympics and designed to accommodate up to 50,000 passengers per hour during major events. This beautifully crafted public building, engaged with the landscape, sensitive to climate, expressive of technology, with robust engineering and finely wrought detail embodies all that Rodney held dear.

"The station was one of a handful of projects that put HASSELL on my radar as a young designer," said Managing Director, Rob Backhouse. "It was one of the projects that attracted me to the company. Without Rodney, HASSELL would not have achieved the success it has in the rail sector.

"But Rodney's contribution goes far beyond that. He was an industrial designer originally. He became Design Director at Foster and Partners on the back of major projects like the Bilbao Metro. He first joined HASSELL in Melbourne in 1995, taking charge of interior design, but later moved into architecture and to Sydney. He was clever, subversive, and had a great sense of humour. His death is a great loss".

Ross de la Motte, HASSELL Sydney Managing Principal, who worked with Rodney for many years, described him simply as "a remarkable man and a great friend."

Ken Maher, Chair of the International Executive, said Rodney’s talent, passion, intelligence and infectious enthusiasm was unique. “I had the privilege of collaborating closely with him over the years and gained much from the experience,” Ken said.

"He made projects demanding in his search for perfection, yet always fun. He touched all he encountered deeply and his legacy will remain with us forever.”

HASSELL Chairman Peter Duncan also paid tribute. “Rodney was a truly remarkable man who made an equally remarkable impact on our practice through his passion, design talent, and enormous encouragement with his colleagues. He will be greatly missed by our colleagues, partners and clients.

“His design thinking led to a unique aesthetic balanced with an intelligent technical understanding. His influence lives on through his colleagues and projects around the world in marking his wonderful life.”

The Common Ground housing project in Sydney was one of this year's finalists for the prestigious 2012 NSW Premier's Prize. It is an acknowledgement by the NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell in addressing our social responsibility issues. As architects we are in a privileged position to enact positive change and this project is an example of how we can make a difference.

HASSELL collaborated with developer and builder Grocon on a pro-bono basis to prepare preliminary design feasibility studies on a number of sites within inner Sydney, before providing full design services for Common Ground at cost to Housing NSW.

"Common Ground is a worthy housing typology offering critically needed support to the disadvantage and adds essential diversity to the housing stock," said Ken Maher, Chairman of the International Executive at HASSELL and the design leader on the project.

"Accommodation is arranged around a central atrium, with common facilities and a courtyard at ground level and street-front community services. Rooms are naturally ventilated and all have balconies," he said.

Common Ground Sydney adopts the 'street to home' approach of the Common Ground model originating in New York. The model satisfies the fundamental requirements of shelter, warmth and basic life needs as a vital first step towards a satisfying and balanced life for people affected by homelessness. Importantly, this model provides on-site support designed to help tenants maintain their housing, address health issues and pursue education and employment.

Through our Corporate Social Responsibility program, we have contributed free time to over 130 projects in Australia and Asia over the past four years. Our involvement in projects can be a response to a specific request from sponsors or passionate individuals within our practice. Other recent projects we have donated our time to include habitat restoration for flood mitigation in Bangkok, assisting the Red Cross earthquake relief in China and support for the work of Emergency Architects Australia (EAA).

ANZ Centre in Melbourne, designed by HASSELL and Lend lease Design, has done it again, winning its third 6 Star Green Star rating.

It has been awarded a 6 Star rating for Office Interiors. It's a result that exceeds expectations as the interior design for the project was registered to achieve a 5 Star rating.

This means the ANZ Centre is only the second building in Australia to achieve a triple 6 Star rating – for Office Design, Office As-Built and Office Interiors.

The Green Star assessors awarded 75 points to the Office Interiors, including four for innovation. It was the additional points for innovation that secured the 6 Star rating.

The innovations in the building included:_Underfloor air distribution which allows individuals to control air flow around them_A cogeneration plant connected to the building that helps reduce the demand for energy_A big reduction in car parking – 95 per cent fewer parking spaces than local planning rules would have allowed. This encourages people working in the building to use public transport.

"HASSELL put its heart and soul into the ANZ Centre project," said Managing Director Rob Backhouse. "We are about being a global leader in designing a sustainable future and at ANZ we had a client who shared our vision of what could be achieved in this project. That's why they ended up with a triple 6 Star building."

The London Studio of HASSELL, working with Arup, has been appointed by Tbilisi City Hall to carry out the concept design of the new Tbilisi Zoo on the outskirts of the Georgian capital city.

The project will see the existing city centre zoo replaced by a zoological and recreation complex adjacent to the inland lake known as Tbilisi Sea.

Working with Arup's Dublin office, HASSELL has developed a concept that sits lightly within the spectacular new site, using a design strategy of minimal disturbance to preserve the area's natural beauty. Relocating the current zoo's species and activities calls for a number of new buildings and landscapes. These will include an entrance hub, boulevard, a secondary hub with playground and café, inner zoo and an outer open range zoo. There are also woodland areas set within the Soviet era Arboretum known as Dendropark National Park. A recreation area created on the shore of the Tbilisi Sea will include new buildings for an aquarium and dive school.

The plan builds upon the dramatic landscape and mountainous topography of the area to create a visitor experience unique to Georgia. The country is positioned at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa and these will be represented by the division of the site into distinct grassland habitats. A choice of five different walking routes around the zoo affords a variety of visitor experiences, encouraging return visits.

The zoo creates an international tourist destination for zoo, safari, botanical and recreational experiences. The design will celebrate the natural history of the site and encourage visitors of all ages to take a personal interest in the importance of conserving the earth's environmental heritage.

The project builds on HASSELL's extensive masterplanning, landscape architecture and zoo experience in Australasia including the award-winning Adelaide Zoo, Taronga Zoo in Sydney and Werribee Open Range in Victoria.

Jon Hazelwood, Head of Landscape Architecture at HASSELL's London Studio, commented:

"We believe in the collaboration of landscape architecture, masterplanning and architectural design and the new Tbilisi Zoo is a fantastic opportunity to put this philosophy into practice by developing a new zoo destination from first principles. Our team has been inspired by the beauty of the Georgian landscape to create a scheme that works in harmony with the environment, respects the animals that will inhabit it and allows people to observe them in a space akin to their natural habitat."

The 6 Star Green Star commercial workplace, developed and built by Grocon, is one of the key projects of the Revitalising Central Dandenong initiative, a major urban renewal project led by Places Victoria and the Victorian State Government.

In announcing the award, the AIA jury said: “This is a new type of building, a vertical campus stitching the large and the small into an orchestrated, organic whole."

"Great care has been taken to humanise the environment, creating a hybrid commercial/institutional structure. This allows for multiple street addresses and identities together with a striking, successful workplace environment.”

Dandenong Government Services Offices is fully occupied by four government departments, with more than 14,400 square metres of office space over eight levels.

The new HASSELL studio in Cardiff – our second in the United Kingdom – is officially open for business.

Colin Hockley, HASSELL Managing Principal in the UK, hosted a launch event at the new studio in the centre of Cardiff, attended by local civic, community and business leaders. Colin was joined by the Chair of our International Executive, Ken Maher, and the Head of Architecture and London Studio Leader, Tony Grist, in officially declaring the studio open.

Speaking at the launch, Ken Maher said HASSELL saw the establishment of the Cardiff studio as a critical step in fulfilling its international aspirations.

"As we have expanded and matured as a practice, it has become evident that having talented people in the UK is critical to realising our international opportunities and being global in reach yet knowledgeable of and responsive to local nuances," he said.

The new Cardiff studio is led by Colin, a former Managing Director of the UK architectural practice Nightingale Associates and Kieren Morgan, Global Health Leader for HASSELL. Kieren is a former Health Development Director at Nightingale. Colin and Kieren are already working with the other 13 HASSELL studios around the world to further strengthen our healthcare design practice.

SA Water House has achieved the highest sustainability rating available from the Green Building Council of Australia.

A 6 Star Green Star Office Interiors v1.1 Certified rating is considered a "world leadership" category and makes it the first South Australian building to receive 6 Star Green Star rating for both the base building and fitout, and only second nationally.

SA Water's vision for its new building was to develop a highly sustainable workplace that reflects the values of transparency, flexibility and innovation.

A central atrium and stair create visual and physical connections to all levels of the open plan workspace, bringing people together in a new social environment and promoting ad hoc professional interaction. The high quality space planning and amenity supports the well-being of the organisation's most important resource – its people.

The HASSELL studio in Bangkok continued their fourth year of sponsorship of the Commonwealth Sundowners, hosted by the Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce (AustCham) at the Eastin Grand Hotel Sathorn Bangkok on, 6 June 2012.

Sundowners is AustCham's monthly business networking event and rated as one of the top three most attended networking functions for Bangkok. The special Commonwealth Sundowners event invites members from the British, Canadian, Ghana, Hong Kong, Indian, Irish, Malaysian, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Singapore, South African and Sri Lankan Thai Chambers of Commerce. It is a great opportunity for members and guests of the Chamber to meet, network and exchange views in a social environment.

Never ones to miss participating in a Melbourne festival, our Young Designer group are back in action with an installation for Shed Light – part of The Light in Winter Festival on now at Federation Square.

Shed Light is a display made up of seven architect-designed installations. The HASSELL shed, aptly named Look Shed, offers visitors a secret place from which to view the world.

It uses natural light to reflect and refract views of the outside through a series of simple periscopes, encouraging the viewer to see the everyday in a different way through a series of viewing portals cut from the frame. Viewers will appreciate the beauty in the built form, the textural layering of the urban landscape and the history buried within a montage of glass and concrete.

As the city slowly morphs from day to night, Look Shed provides a different viewing experience. The periscope portals provide a source of light to the exterior as directional bursts of light come from within.

You don't want to miss this one.

The Winter in Lights Festival, A City of Melbourne initiative, is on from now until July 1st 2012 at Federation Square.

The HASSELL designed Qantas Domestic Terminal in Sydney has been named the best airport terminal in the world in the June 2012 issue of Monocle magazine.

In Monocle's "Transport Top 20", Editor in Chief Tyler Brule says Qantas "takes the prize as our favourite terminal for its simple design, quality materials and sensible scale". He also says the terminal "scores high for its well designed lounges, decent retail mix, smooth security and low lighting".

Tyler Brule was the Founding Editor of Wallpaper magazine and is a columnist for the London based Financial Times newspaper.

Tony Grist, Head of Architecture and now London Studio Leader at HASSELL, led the Qantas project, which was completed in 1999. “At the time our brief was to provide a timeless design that responded to its place with its materials palette, deliver efficient low maintenance facilities, and elevate the experience of travel beyond what was then available to passengers,” he said. “We were fortunate to have a client that had a strong vision, and was prepared to support the ideas that led to a successful outcome – some of which were groundbreaking at the time for Australia and have now become the norm around the world. We are honoured that such an influential journal as Monocle would recognise the building some 12 years later.”

Wednesday 13 June 2012HASSELL Helps define an urban future for western Sydney

Matthew Pullinger of HASSELL has played a key role in the development of a long term future for one of Australia's most run-down urban corridors. HASSELL was one of nine leading architects, landscape architects and urban designers involved in an Urban Taskforce Australia plan for Parramatta Road in Sydney, currently a hotchpotch of car yards, run down buildings and decaying infrastructure. The Urban Taskforce is a non-profit organisation set up by the property development industry as a forum for debate on the future of Australia's cities and the urban environment.

The Taskforce vision, published in its magazine Urban Ideas, is for the redevelopment of Parramatta Road into a new green, "liveability corridor". HASSELL developed a series of images showing how a wide range of transport infrastructure projects planned or under consideration by governments would help transform Parramatta Road, the major link between the centre of Sydney and Parramatta to the west.

"New transport links already under discussion include road, heavy rail, light rail and metro rail proposals," Matthew Pullinger said. "Transport infrastructure is essential to viable urban renewal, and the Taskforce work recognises this. Some of the new transport links would take vehicular traffic off the road and others would serve people living along it. The Parramatta Road corridor needs both if it is to become a vital, mixed use urban neighbourhood where people want to live and work."

The Urban Taskforce publication identifies 12 major development sites along the corridor that could kickstart the rebirth of Parramatta Road. HASSELL has designed a proposal for one of these sites, the Summer Hill Flour Mill, and a master plan for the adjacent McGill Street precinct. The flour mill includes an iconic set of silos next to a disused freight line that will soon become an extension to Sydney's inner west light rail line. The existing light rail from central Sydney to Lilyfield will be extended past Summer Hill to Dulwich.

Jon Hazelwood, Head of Landscape Architecture for HASSELL in the United Kingdom, discusses the highs and lows of building a new practice in a new market and the joys of design competitions in two articles in the latest issue of Landscape, the journal of the UK Landscape Institute.

HASSELL has had success in a series of major design competitions since it opened for business in the UK in 2011, and are working on a number of projects in the UK, Europe and the Middle East.

In the latest milestone, HASSELL was one of eight practices appointed to the London Legacy Development Corporation specialist panel of Landscape Architects. The eight companies will be invited to work on a range of projects, post Olympics, including the design of a new canal side park and landscape design guidelines for new neighbourhoods around Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

HASSELL has studios in London and Cardiff and 12 others in Australia, China and Asia.

HASSELL Chairman Peter Duncan was interviewed by Dow Jones Newswires about how prospects for China's construction market were improving.

In the interview, which was published in the Wall Street Journal, Peter said that HASSELL received an increased number of leads last month, with construction sites returning to life.

"Projects that were previously in limbo were suddenly back on track. We're getting many requests for proposals from local governments and developers, especially in North and Western China," said Peter. "We're expecting a lot of work in the months ahead in both major and smaller cities, especially in large-scale urban planning, infrastructure projects such as airports, and mixed-use developments."

Friday 8 June 2012Peter Duncan attends Australian Feature Day in Beijing

HASSELL Chairman Peter Duncan was one of the panellists at the Australian Feature Day in Beijing, an initiative organised by the Australian Government and supported by China's commerce ministry to promote a bilateral services trade.

Peter participated in the panel discussion on China's construction-related services industry, where he spoke about the opportunities in China for companies such as HASSELL and what we are able to offer.

As part of the China Beijing International Fair for Trade in Services, the event seeks to put Australian companies in touch with potential Chinese clients. Australian's Trade and Competitiveness Minister Craig Emerson was a guest of honour for the event.

David Tsui and Vivian Ai from the HASSELL Hong Kong studio attended the Architecture and Design conference this week. David, a Principal at HASSELL, was invited to participate in the panel discussion, along with other industry experts Giambattista Burdo, Partner, Oobiq Architects, Jules Kwan, Co-Founder, Space-Development and URBN Hotels and Resorts and Callum Bothwell, Regional Director, Confluence.

The panel discussed issues on team work and managing complex, mixed use projects, the art of compromise and how to retain design integrity and still be within budget as well as sustainable design and design built to last.

A massive 220 tonne timber roof structure has been lifted into place at the University of Queensland, a major milestone in the construction of the new Advanced Engineering Building.

It is the latest in a series of significant new buildings that showcase HASSELL leadership in the design of new teaching and laboratory facilities at top universities.

HASSELL Project Principal Mark Loughnan took these images of the new Advanced Engineering Building as the timber trussed roof structure was put into place above a new auditorium. The 500-seat auditorium is entirely constructed from timber columns and trusses and is glass enclosed. An adjustable blind system will control light and shade in the auditorium without losing the building's lakeside outlook.

The design of the new building is a joint venture by HASSELL and Richard Kirk Architects.

The Advanced Engineering Building will be a feature of a new engineering precinct at the University of Queensland's St Lucia campus that provides innovative spaces and blended learning laboratories for 3,600 students.

The new building will bring together staff and students from the materials engineering disciplines, currently based across four sites on campus and is due for completion in the first quarter of 2013.

The project has recently been awarded Green Star certification. Its features include:

_A mixed mode feature allowing the building to operate largely using natural ventilation to reduce the need for air conditioning_Building-wide monitoring systems to track environmental performance_Recycled materials such as wood, rubber and fibres incorporated into timber facades, flooring and various structures of the building

Ross de la Motte, Managing Principal of the HASSELL Sydney studio, has been appointed to the New South Wales Government's Creative Industries Taskforce, a new industry-led body set up to develop strategies to drive growth, innovation and productivity in the creative industries sector.

"The new Creative Industries Taskforce brings together some of the State's best talent from a broad range of creative industries fields including film and television, fashion, publishing, the built environment, advertising, design and the performing arts," said NSW Deputy Premier, Andrew Stoner.

Ross de la Motte said he was pleased to be appointed to the taskforce to represent the disciplines within the built environment and contribute to plans for the long-term sustainability and growth of the creative industries in NSW.

The Creative Industries Taskforce will identify industry-led initiatives and government actions to support the State's creative industries. A draft report will be released in August, with the final 10-year development strategy, including two year and five year goals, to be presented to the NSW Government by September 2012.

Eoin Gladish, who works in the HASSELL Perth studio as a graduate Landscape Architect, was recently announced as the winner of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) Western Australia Future Leaders Award in the Graduate category. This award recognises achievement in design, planning, communications and research that is based upon the development of innovative, creative and practical solutions to landscape architectural challenges.

We are extremely proud to have Eoin working with us as he has contributed to a number of significant and varied projects and has been an integral member of the teams he has worked with.

HASSELL Principal Anthony Brookfield said Eoin had been nominated for his level of design ability, commitment to quality and ability to think laterally.

"At the core of our profession is the creation of spaces for people which is in tune with our aspirations to live sustainably with the natural systems of the planet. This is a daily challenge not just for landscape architects but for all of society," he said.

"Eoin understands that landscape architects have a role to play in this challenge. Issues relating to climate change, low carbon footprint development and respecting existing ecosystems and landscapes are key factors to consider in all our projects."

AILA WA juror Philip Palmer said Eoin demonstrated very high levels of achievement in design, documentation and graphic communication skills across a wide range of projects.

"The broad range of skills so enthusiastically applied in his work indicates that Eoin is a potential future leader in landscape architectural profession," he said.

"Furthermore, client references attest to a level of competence in project management that is unusual for such a recent graduate."

We would like to congratulate Eoin for his achievement and wish him all the best for the future.

Friday 1 June 2012HASSELL participates in Great Wall Marathon in Beijing

Over 30 HASSELL employees took part in this year's Great Wall Marathon in Beijing, which was held in May. This is the fifth year that HASSELL has sponsored employees in Hong Kong and mainland China to participate in the annual event, as part of our efforts to encourage a fit and healthy lifestyle. For example, an external instructor leads spinning classes twice a week in a specially built attic equipped with six stationary bicycles at the HASSELL Shanghai studio.

HASSELL student of architecture, William Chan was invited to exhibit his work, Palette of Urban Green at Vivid Sydney’s 2012 Lights On! festival, following the international competition held by Destination NSW.

Vivid Sydney is the largest celebration of light, music, ideas and film in the Southern Hemisphere, shining a spotlight on the creative industries and celebrating Sydney as the creative hub of the Asia Pacific. Attracting over 600,000 attendees so far in 2012, Vivid Sydney has now become one of NSW’s signature cultural events.

Lights On! is the centrepiece of Vivid Sydney, transforming Sydney into a magical wonderland of colourful lights and surprising adventures, with interactive lighting art sculptures and innovative installations which everyone can enjoy nightly, for free, throughout Sydney’s Circular Quay.

William’s Palette of Urban Green is an interactive urban forest created from five individual light sculptures using environmentally sustainable timber pallets to produce architectural towers that physically twist and mesmerise.

Energy efficient LEDs glow from the design to create an array of light and shadow. Using innovative high frequency and infra-red sensors, the light appears and disappears around the rotated sculptures to respond to movement.

From the recycled building materials to the reuse of the sustainable technology following deconstruction, Palette of Urban Green is a’ highly recyclable’ art installation.

HASSELL is proud to be the principal sponsor of William’s installation and support this prestigious event. We worked closely with William from concept to construction stages to ensure his project was realised. Supporting him financially and mentoring him through the process, we were able to introduce William to suppliers and contractors who offered their products, expertise and time. Evan Whiteside, one of our talented 3D visualisers created the imagery for the competition entry.

We kicked off Vivid Sydney, Lights On! festival with our own Red Room event last Friday night, William invited his sponsors and presented Palette of Urban Green’s concept and process, followed by a tour of his installation.

Palette of Urban Green will be located and exhibited nightly from 6pm in the Barney and Bligh Reserve, Circular Quay West.

We are pleased to announce the appointment of six new Principals to its international design practice. Five have been promoted from within the business and the sixth has joined HASSELL from his own architectural practice. They will help promote generational change as HASSELL continues to grow internationally.

Jad Silvester has joined as a Principal and will be based in our Melbourne studio. He is a highly experienced design team leader with extensive experience in Australia, Italy and Switzerland.

Announcing the appointments, HASSELL Managing Director Rob Backhouse said the ability to recognise and nurture future leaders is one of the key factors in the company's continued success.

"Next year we will celebrate our 75th anniversary and we now operate 14 design studios in Australia, China, South East Asia and the United Kingdom," he said.

"Over many years we have been able to renew the practice with successive generations moving into leadership positions. Our focus is on identifying and promoting people with the ability to work with clients in a genuine collaboration. Our people have to be passionate designers, but they also have to immerse themselves in the business of our clients. That's where great design comes from."

Wednesday 30 May 2012ANZ Centre and dtac House listed on top 10 revolutionary world office list

Canadian publication The Globe and Mail recently published their list of the world's 10 most revolutionary offices, two of which were designed by HASSELL.

The article states that, "the more we understand about how creativity works—psychologically, socially, neurologically — the better we understand the optimal conditions for letting our brains get busy. And that includes our offices. All around the world, companies are looking to boost innovative thinking by embracing a radical idea: Maybe you can change how people work by changing where they work."

Discussing how ANZ Centre fits into this, the author of the article notes that "ANZ Centre invites the public to explore its central hub of cafes and art. The open philosophy is carried over to the workspace, where employees collaborate in various task-specific "hubs," that range from intimate nooks to sprawling worktables."

Having reliable Wi-Fi throughout dtac House enables staff to work in an incredibly mobile way. The article notes that, "the 3,500-strong staff are encouraged to wander the 20-storey headquarters. They're free to work wherever, and with whomever, the mood strikes—even if it's outside on one of two huge terraces overlooking Bangkok. "

Yanqiu Zhou (also known as Eleven), an interior designer at the HASSELL Shanghai studio, was recently awarded the gold prize for her work Travel with Ideas concept, in an office-lighting innovation competition held by Philips. In addition to a cash prize, Yanqiu also won a trip to Europe to attend a design workshop.

The judges were impressed by Yanqiu's submission, commenting that it was forward-looking yet completely feasible in the future. Drawing inspiration from environmental protection and the need for modern-day city dwellers to have their own individual space, she designed a portable tent-like structure measuring about 25 cubic metres consisting of 40 slices of engineering plastics, nine standing sticks, a single-man sofa and foldable table. All the components can be stored into a car trunk and transported.

When set up, the tent would feature a window that opens to various angles and views while solar-powered cells would generate electricity for internal lighting and to charge electric reading devices. It would primarily be used in outdoor areas such as in parks or during activities such as camping.

We are delighted to welcome a new Principal, Jad Silvester, to the Melbourne studio.

Having worked for Renzo Piano Building Workshop in Australia and Italy for three years, and Herzog and de Meuron in Switzerland for four years, Jad brings a wealth of international knowledge to HASSELL.

He is a highly experienced design team leader who specialises in architectural strategy, concept and concept implementation.

Jad has led teams through concept and schematic design on a number of high profile projects including the expansion of Tate Modern in London, the refurbishment of Park Avenue Armory in New York and the creation of a new distribution centre for Prada in Italy. Other key projects include the California Academy of Sciences and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.

For the past four years Jad has worked at Silvester Fuller, a design studio he established with Penny Fuller in 2008. In parallel to active practice he has taught design at the University of Technology Sydney and the University of Sydney.

Putting away toys is a chore that few children like, but with the new Toy Storage solution developed by HASSELL that might just change.

Toy Storage is a colourful system made from sustainable materials that offers children a creative and playful way to tidy up, turning it from a chore into fun. It's both a toy and storage system in one and at 1.5 x 1.8 metres, has been designed to fit in perfectly with the scale of a child's world.

This innovative solution was recently announced as one of the winning projects of the Ghost Competition in Serbia. As a result, Toy Storage which was created by young HASSELL designers Robert Held and Piers van Zandvliet, has been invited to go on exhibition at the Misker Festival in Belgrade. The Mikser Festival is Southeast Europe's largest regional festival of creativity and innovation, and runs this year between 25 May and 2 June.

"The storage system 'remembers' the objects. You can press the objects into Toy Storage which shifts the rods in this area to the back. After you remove the object you can still see the negative shape, which makes it easier for the children to find the right place again after playtime," said Robert.

After Toy Storage's selection for the exhibition, the initial design concept was progressed to a scaled prototype that completed the journey to Belgrade for the Festival.

"We will be keeping track of Toy Storage and the exhibition from Melbourne throughout the Festival via correspondence with the organisers and social media," said Piers.

During the nine-day Festival, the Mikser jury (presided over by renowned industrial designer Konstantin Gricic) will select projects to be developed into products for two collections: the Young Balkan Designers regional collection, and the Ghost Project international collection.

The second event in the DNA series – 'behind the scenes of design' was recently held at Adelaide's Mercury Cinema. The series has been created to illustrate the design process that takes place at HASSELL through visualisation and mixed media to clients.

The evening was themed as a movie night, with attendees having the opportunity to view with University of Adelaide Learning Hub video, footage of the Terra Australis project which was the HASSELL entry into the 2010 Venice Biennale, the making of the sock portrait by Hong Yi and montages and 3D imagery created in a range of HASSELL studios.

Darwin Waterfront has been recognised as one of Asia Pacific's best projects, receiving awards in two categories at the 2012 Asia Pacific Property Awards, celebrated in Kuala Lumpur on Friday 27 April.

Judged the Best Landscape Architecture project in Australia, the HASSELL designed Darwin Waterfront won the Five Star Award and the 2012 International Property Awards Asia Pacific - Best Landscape Architecture Asia Pacific. It was also Highly Commended in the Leisure Development Australia category.

The vision for the Darwin Waterfront project was to transform the city's redundant industrial port facility into a world class, mixed-use urban community, attracting local residents, business travellers and tourists alike.

"With many cities on the waterfront, either river, harbour or the sea, the space between the city and the water has often been a place for trade and industry, disconnecting the urban centre from the foreshore and resulting in a blighted space when industry declines. This zone provides a rich opportunity for new focal public places, for reconnection and repopulation, while at the same time paying respect to the heritage and industrial history of a site. As world cities develop, and land is at a premium, urban consolidation and the use of previously industrial sites help to reduce urban sprawl. Darwin Waterfront transformed a previously contaminated industrial site, providing a new public landscape and a new waterfront address for the city," said Professor Ken Maher, Chairman International Executive of HASSELL.

As the top scoring landscape architecture project for the Asia Pacific region, Darwin Waterfront will now go on to be judged against the other regional winners to determine the world's best.

IndesignLive recently took the time to interview Susan Standring, Senior Associate at HASSELL. With over 20 years of experience in commercial interior design, Susan Standring has worked on projects in Singapore, South Korea, China and across Australia. Her recent portfolio includes major hospitality venues such as Esquire Restaurant in Brisbane, the Parkroyal Darling Harbour in Sydney and the Ovolo Hotel Melbourne.

Q: Describe your design philosophy

My intuitive response when creating design solutions is to be 'thoughtful ' - I try to engage both the user, the observer and those who assist in constructing.

My aesthetic design appeal is contemporary with an eclectic infusion to address a sense of place or cultural context. Humanism through attention to detail and tactile qualities somehow always becomes evident in my work.

Q: Name your top 3 influences

There is a quote from Albert Einstein that I love: "Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better". This quote reminds me that it is important to stop and take a breath, especially when the pressures of a project become daunting. Nature calms me.

I also find great inspiration and learning in travel. Without it I think I would wither! It broadens my perception and appreciation of the world on many levels - emotional, behavioural and physical.

Curiosity is another thing that drives my passion, making me want to continually enquire, explore, evaluate and learn. Admittedly, when work programs become hectic, my curiosity drops and I fight the demon of going into auto-drive. This mode of behaviour can only go on for so long, as it's not fulfilling.

HASSELL Health leaders Brenden Kelly and Jeff Menkens recently spoke at a forum at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), organised by Architects for Health. The aim of Architects for Health is to promote better healthcare environments by bringing together organisations and individuals who share an interest in planning and design excellence for healthcare facilities.

International Meeting Australia gathered together speakers with an Australian focus to discuss recent developments in the region. Jeff and Brenden talked about three HASSELL projects - Fiona Stanley Hospital (a collaboration with STH and Hames Sharley), Busselton and Midland Health Campus. Brenden and Jeff outlined the HASSELL approach, based on collaborative disciplines working together and enhancing the design outcome. They discussed how large hospitals can be integrated into an urban setting with the integration of therapeutic landscapes, the importance of the environment as a healing factor and the specific government and procurement factors that influence design.

Friday 11 May 2012HASSELL appointed to London Legacy Development Corporation panel

HASSELL has been appointed to the London Legacy Development Corporation's specialist panel to assist with the design of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, UK.

The expert panel will offer a range of services to support and enhance the design quality of the Park and surrounding area, including new neighbourhoods, venues, parklands and public spaces. HASSELL have been selected onto the Landscape Architectural panel.

Andrew Altman, Chief Executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation, said, "The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will be defined by high quality design running through the neighbourhoods, venues, parklands and public spaces. Legacy plans are further ahead than any previous Olympic host city and this is a great opportunity for architects and designers to help shape the future of the Park after the Games."

The Landscape Architectural panel which consists of a mix of small and local practices as well as the larger more established firms are:_Churchman Landscape Architects_East_Gustafson Porter_HASSELL_J and L Gibbons_Kinnear Landscape Architects Limited_muf architecture/art LLP_Strootman Landschapsarchitecten

The Legacy Corporation will issue mini-competitions to the panel for projects including the design for a new canal side park along Lee Navigation, design guidance for the five new neighbourhoods and support for development projects on the Park and surrounding areas.

We are proud to announce that two of our projects were successful at the 2012 Australian Interior Design Awards last Friday evening – Chasing Kitsune won the Installation Design Award while the George Patterson Y&R fitout was commended in the Workplace Design category. A total of eight HASSELL projects were shortlisted in this year's awards.

Chasing Kitsune redefined the food-truck phenomenon by creating a mobile pop-up restaurant that adapts to its landscape. It was created by young designers at HASSELL for the 2011 State of Design Festival, which was themed "design that moves." Based on the idea of the kitsune, a mythical fox in Japanese culture that shape-shifts and only reveals its true form in shadow or reflection, the truck operated at night at locations that were revealed via social media. The design was simple and calculated, evoking the principles of Japanese design and concentrating on the craftsmanship rather than a palette of materials. The fitout was designed to be removed from the rental truck and re-inserted into another truck, to be sold as a complete mobile restaurant with its own branding and identity.

As part of their decision, the IDA jury noted that, "HASSELL's awarded project is a mysterious and adventurous approach to "pop-up" food retailing. It responds to the nature of contemporary life; it is experiential, social and temporary. Chasing Kitsune is a "shape-shifter" that can locate itself in, and transform, any space. A generic truck arrives and its content overflows to provide a beautifully crafted place and experience."

The Australian Interior Design Awards recognise and celebrate interior design excellence via an industry-based program, which is backed by the Design Institute of Australia, the professional body representing Australian designers.

HASSELL and North Sydney Council won two National Trust (NSW) heritage awards this week for the former Coal Loader, located in North Sydney.

The HASSELL-led team prepared detailed design and construction documentation for the development of the proposed public parkland on the former Coal Loader and Caltex industrial sites. The site has high natural and cultural heritage significance and has been adaptively reused to provide settings for an array of new activities and uses including a council-run sustainability learning centre, a café, artist workshops, a community meeting room and SES North Sydney.

The Regeneration and New Development category for Adaptive Reuse was awarded to HASSELL and the Sustainability category was awarded to our client North Sydney Council.

We would like to congratulate our visionary client and multidisciplinary team for their work and commitment, which has led to this award.

HASSELL Chairman Peter Duncan presented a talk on China's urbanisation and sustainable development to the Shanghai Foreign Correspondents Club (SFCC) last week.

China's unprecedented growth and scale of urbanisation requires a broad, forward-thinking approach that enriches lives and develops a Chinese cultural quality that is environmentally sustainable, Peter said in his talk to approximately 30 SFCC members. He also shared some of the key projects that HASSELL has worked on in China, including both the headquarters for Alibaba and Deutsche Bank, as well as the master planning for Ningbo New Town.

Held at the HASSELL Shanghai studio, which is a converted former motorcycle factory near the south Bund, the event was attended by representatives from media publications such as Forbes Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones Newswires, Bloomberg News, The Associated Press, National Public Radio, Channel News Asia and Le Figaro.

HASSELL Principal David Tsui was invited to speak this week at Conversation in Design: Responsibility of Design, part of the Shanghai International Interior Design Festival 2012. David spoke on the topic of the Beginning of Design. The conversation was organised by Interior Design China Magazines.

The Shanghai International Interior Design Festival 2012 was held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.

HASSELL is one of four finalists in a Royal Institute of British Architects competition to design a new visitor destination on a disused coal mine – the former Cronton Colliery at Knowlsey near Manchester. The four finalists are HASSELL, Hawkins/Brown, Michael Lee Architects and Edward Architecture and Matthew Riley.

The four were shortlisted from 50 designers who submitted proposals for the site. The RIBA and the Land Trust, which will operate the site, will announce the competition winner on 19 April.

A selection of the 50 proposals including the HASSELL scheme are currently on display in Leeds.

_Venue: The Leeds Design and Innovation Centre, 46 The Calls, Leeds

_Exhibition dates: Monday 2 April – Thursday 3 May 2012

The Land Trust was "blown away by the creativity and vision of the proposals", according to Director of Operations Matthew Bradbury.

Chief executive Euan Hall said the former coal mine is "a fabulous space" with the potential to become a magnificent 21st Century visitor destination.

"By working with RIBA Competitions on this we are hoping to change the way design teams create schemes in the future. We believe that open spaces have the potential to be the catalyst for change and can impact far more than just the 'environment.'"

We are pleased to announce that young HASSELL designer Phillip Nielsen has won the Boral Design Awards 2011/12 Professional category with his 'Flamingo Lane' concept.

Entrants were asked to design a scheme to adaptively repurpose an existing city fringe commercial property into a medium density residential or mixed-use development, while preserving 50 percent of the original building fabric.

Phillip attended the award ceremony in Melbourne where the jury noted that, "Flamingo Lane contributed to the vibrancy of the city and kept the scale of the streetscape while still using elements of the existing building. Its blend of medium density housing options, offering 19 dwellings as well as five 50 square metre tenancies, creates a precinct that promotes community."

An article published in the Australian Design Review also noted that, "Applying the classic brick arch, (the) solution offers a clear tectonic expression that delivers both a wonderful interior experience and a strong street presence and identity. Its urban strategy is also sensible, well resolved and well integrated into the surrounding neighbourhood (...) Ultimately, Flamingo Lane wooed jurors through the sheer liveability of its internal spaces and its warm and evocative use of brick, and this was in fact the only project that drew unanimous and uncontested praise, making it the well-deserved, professional winner."

Wednesday 11 April 2012Sydney team participates in Dance for Life fundraiser

A group of designers from the HASSELL Sydney studio recently participated in Dance for Life, an inaugural fundraising event that aims to raise awareness and funds for the Inspire Foundation.The Inspire Foundation is dedicated to providing leading mental health services for young people suffering from depression.

HASSELL participated in the dance competition along with nine other design practices from Sydney with an entertaining 80s-inspired dance routine, performed at Paddington Town Hall in front of hundreds of industry professionals. The event was developed by Ontera, Instyle and JSB Lighting.

The HASSELL team raised nearly $10,000 out of a grand total of $30,000, aided by friends and family of our team members. Plans are already in place to participate in this valuable event next year!

HASSELL has been awarded the interior design project for the new home of the Australian Institute of Architects, currently under construction in Melbourne. When the new building is completed in 2014 the Institute will move into four floors designed by HASSELL.

Eight firms were asked to submit an Expression of Interest in the project and HASSELL was one of two then invited into detailed discussions. The Institute says the 'fit' between its team and the HASSELL designers led by Ingrid Bakker, Steve Coster, Scott Walker and Rob Ryan was a key factor in the decision to award us the project.

"It is a great one to win," says Scott Walker. "It is the home of architecture in Victoria, and it presents wonderful design challenges. The big challenge is to create a hub for architecture in Melbourne, a place for people to come together to learn, discuss and debate. The project is a workplace, meeting space, bookshop and learning hub all in one."

"It is an opportunity for the Institute to reach out and embrace the greater community. Design is important to Melbourne, so the Institute's home plays a key role in the city's fabric".

Thursday 5 April 2012Chris Watkins interviewed about University of Adelaide Learning Hub

Chris Watkins, a Principal Architect at the HASSELL Adelaide studio and one of the leaders of the University of Adelaide Learning Hub, was recently interviewed about the project for the Design for New Generation Learning Spaces conference.

The Learning Hub is a flexible and functional space with informal learning spaces and can be utilised for individual, quiet reflective, small groups, but is also ideal for large group learning.

Chris discusses what really works when deciding on the design most suitable for an education institution and what the Learning Hub at the University of Adelaide offers the next generation of students, how the space has been received by the students and how the Learning Hub space meets the need of the growing number of international students.

Work on the 20,000-square metre Chongqing Palm Springs Lakeside project is progressing well, with 40 percent of the construction finished and final completion expected by October 2012.

Located on the banks of Palm Lake and the Taiping Reservoir, the Palm Springs Lakeside project is a new hospitality and commercial precinct in the Palm Springs International Garden complex in Chongqing.

John Pauline, one of the key designers on the project said, "The site, which lies between two lakes, is a rare opportunity to explore the full potential of using water to unify a design. The restaurants and bars will sit like lanterns on the water's reflective surface. The elevated water platforms conceal the operational aspects of the restaurants such as parking, loading areas and kitchens. This allows the public aspects of these dining zones to be revealed above the waterline, so that views of the water in all directions can be fully appreciated by the patrons."

This modern precinct comprises six independent restaurants set along the banks of the two lakes, arranged into five buildings. The five buildings and the artificial water feature form a "courtyard of water" so that patrons at each restaurant can enjoy natural water vistas on one side, and a private "water courtyard" view on the other.

By creating an infinity pool-style water feature, both the natural and artificial elements are integrated visually, while the buildings have been designed to be surrounded by water. This gives the architectural impression that the buildings are "floating" on water. Both the concept of the water feature and the layout of the buildings reflect the unique characteristics of Chongqing, which is known as the city "connected by two rivers."

HASSELL is delighted to announce that Matthew Hamilton is this year's recipient of the Robin Edmond – 2011 Travelling Scholarship.

The award, run by HASSELL and now in its 21st year, recognises landscape architecture students who show outstanding potential for future contribution to the profession.

Matthew Hamilton from RMIT University was chosen after much discussion between the landscape architecture discipline leaders from all the Australian studios. Matthew's project was titled "The Jak Mania – (Re)designing cities through slums."

By immersing himself in the Asian mega city of Jakarta, Matthew sought to investigate new models of urban design through an understanding and appreciation of existing human relationships at a number of specially selected sites within the city. His research and analysis of the interaction between environment and human activity was both thorough and compassionate in its response. The design outcomes were radical yet practical, initiated through a desire to fully embrace the needs of the local population. Matthew's imaginative approach to storytelling through text and graphics impressed the judges.

HASSELL commend Matthew and we are keen to see how this passion for making a difference in very challenging urban environments continues into his career.

We would also like to note the recipients of special commendations: Jason Cuffe from The University of New South Wales and Susie Quinton from The University of Adelaide. Both of their final design portfolios were extremely impressive, displaying a mature approach to realising two radically different design briefs.

HASSELL would like to thank all of the universities and entrants who participated in the award in 2011. As with previous years, the standard of portfolios and final design work submitted was of an extremely high standard. All entrants are to be congratulated for the quality of their design thinking and ability to respond imaginatively to their briefs.

Click here to download the booklet featuring selected highlights from the portfolios presented in 2011. For a high res version, please email Kelly O'Rourke at korourke@hassellstudio.com.

We are extremely proud to announce that architecture student Sameul Jeyaseelan, who is based in the HASSELL Adelaide studio, was awarded the 2012 Student Prize for the Advancement of Architecture at the Australian Achievement in Architecture Awards this week.

The awards recognise individuals who contribute significantly to the architecture profession.

In his citation, Jury Chair Brian Zulaikha noted Samuel's contemporary and comprehensive approach to leadership made him a worthy recipient of the highly sought after award.

"Samuel is a visible, memorable and effective presence within his immediate student cohort, local professional community and at the national level of students and architects," Zulaikha said.

While completing the Bachelor of Architectural Studies program, and currently as part of his Master of Architecture program at University of South Australia, Samuel has taken a leadership role among his fellow students as a student mentor and UniSA School of Architecture Student Representative.

"I am passionate about the future of architecture and encouraging debate and discussion, so have taken every opportunity to get involved in the industry in as many different ways as possible," said Samuel.

Samuel's work to promote the appreciation and advancement of architecture through social media was of particular interest to the Prize Jury.

"Social media is a fantastic tool to drive discussion and also keep an eye on developing trends and new techniques," said Samuel.

"Through Twitter, my blog, Facebook and Tumblr, I've not only been able to engage with professionals and students in the ongoing dialogue about architecture, but I've also helped to raise the profile of architecture with the broader community."

Having already made a name for himself as one of South Australia's rising design stars, the future is looking bright for Samuel, who plans to continue working with HASSELL upon the completion of his Masters degree.

The Government of Western Australia has selected Lend Lease to develop a premier riverfront site adjacent to the Perth city centre.

"Waterbank is a significant city-shaping initiative and we are thrilled to be able to join Lend Lease in guiding the design of this key transformational project for Perth," said Angus Bruce, Principal, HASSELL.

HASSELL has been involved in this project since 2008, when we were commissioned by the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority to review the 2004 Riverside Master Plan to ensure the original objective and vision for the site remained valid.

Waterbank is located in East Perth, on the edge of the CBD and the Swan River. The six hectare site will be developed over the next seven to ten years, and aims to generate more than 8,000 jobs. The staged development includes the construction of approximately 700 residential dwellings (apartments and townhouses), up to 20,000 square metres of commercial office space and approximately 4,000 square metres of retail space. Potentially, a hotel and a significant public realm, including green spaces, wetlands, riverfront promenades, a town square and the Hay Street pier, will follow.

The proposed master plan incorporates:_Low rise buildings overlooking the river, public promenades and new green spaces_A town square area_Accessible river edges with continuous public access, including the creation of a natural beach area and boating access_Connection to Hay Street, creating a direct link to the Swan River from one of Perth's major streets,with a new river pier and continuous site line from the city_Large area of new wetlands, ensuring a water sensitive outcome that delivers an Australian leading Green Star residential development

The HASSELL and Lend Lease design brings the city to the river creating a vibrant waterfront community, offering visitors and residents a range of entertainment, commercial and residential uses in a unique waterfront location.

The HASSELL Melbourne studio was lucky enough to be involved in the How not to Drink Wine like a Wanker event at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival last week. For the fourth year in a row, this sold-out event was hosted by award-winning sommelier and project manager of the Wine Guide, Dan Sims, together with Miss Pearls of cult Melbourne bar Madame Brussels.

A satire of wine enthusiasts, the hilarious event saw the pair sharing the top ten reasons wine is 'wanky' and the top ten reasons wine is 'cool'.

The evening was held on the secret rooftop garden of the HASSELL Melbourne studio, which was turned into a lush vineyard with the help of our creative Landscape Architecture and Interior Design teams. It was accompanied by delicious tastings of a range of wines for the audience.

Tuesday 13 March 2012HASSELL Sydney celebrates International Women’s Day

The HASSELL studio in Sydney celebrated International Women's Day last week for the eighth time. This year we were joined by more than 100 members of the design industry including senior representatives from the City of Sydney, Arup and Qantas who came together to celebrate "Women Building Communities – Women Making a Difference".

We were privileged to be joined by such a talented panel of inspiring women who are making a difference in our communities through their socially responsible work in the fields of construction, health and creativity. Centred on women's contribution to our communities, our guest speakers shared their experience as leaders in their respective fields of social responsibility.

CEO of Habitat for Humanity Australia, Jo Brennan, presented her non-profit organisation working to reduce housing poverty in Australia and overseas. With 1.6 billion people worldwide living in substandard housing and 100 million homeless, Habitat for Humanity Australia are working towards reducing this global crisis with a shared commitment to transforming lives by delivering permanent housing solutions and investing in sustainable community development.

Their programs offer individuals exciting opportunities to take part overseas in short-term 'hands on' house building and renovating projects. HASSELL has supported a program in Nepal and will support projects in the future.

Anne Crawford, founder and director of Can Too, shared the experience she has had with her not-for-profit program that couples fitness challenges with raising valuable funds that go directly towards funding cancer researches through Cure Cancer Australia. Since its inception in 2005, Can Too has raised over $8 million.

Jess Scully, Director of VIVID Ideas Exchange and Creative Sydney introduced networking groups such as Geek Girl Sydney, Social Media Women, Creative Women's Circle (CWC) and Robogals. She inspired guests to get involved with networking and microloan sites such as KIVA and Andable, known as the "ecosystem of good".

The event was a fun, engaging and inspirational discussion, leaving many guests with ideas on how they can get involved with their communities and commit to social responsibility.

HASSELL recently won seven awards at the Hong Kong Designer Association Global Design Awards 2011. On the same day, the HASSELL Shanghai studio received an honourable mention in this year's Green Dot Awards in the Built category.

Hong Kong's Wong Tai Sin Abbot Hall won an Excellence Award in the Architectural Interior/Public Area category while the Dongguan Show House for CITIC Imperial Garden in Guangzhou was the recipient of a Merit Award in the Residential category.

The HKDA Awards is a competition/exhibition covering various design disciplines. It began as the First Picture Show in 1975, was renamed HKDA Design Show in 1976 and finally to HKDA Asia Design Awards in 2005. It was an annual event until 1980 when it became a biennial competition open to all local designers in various disciplines. In 1996, the call for entries was extended to other Asia Pacific countries and the awards have been increasingly recognised as one of the largest and most important design competitions in the region celebrating design excellence.

The Green Dot Awards are one of the world's most prestigious green awards and were established with the intention of recognising outstanding products and services which are manufactured and delivered in an environmentally friendly manner.

A number of HASSELL representatives presented innovative ideas at the Green Cities 2012 conference, held in Sydney this week. The event is the largest green building conference in the Asia-Pacific region.

HASSELL Chairman Peter Duncan and Adam Davies, Principal, presented case studies to illustrate how "big picture thinking" is required to help China address its environmental, social and economic challenges and create sustainable cities.

The case studies, drawn from both China and Australia, cover current citywide master plans and rapid-transport initiatives and precinct-scale urban redevelopment projects. The presentation also provided insight into how Australia can learn from China, as many of the environmental and social issues are common to both countries. This two-way flow of knowledge and experience is vital if Australia and China are to plan and develop their cities, communities and the region to address current and future challenges.

Peter also shared a recent scheme proposed by HASSELL for social housing in Shenzhen, China. China aims to complete 36 million units of affordable housing for lower-income groups over 5 years.

Harley Vincent, Senior Associate Architect, presented the Australian High Speed Vehicle concept as part of the four-part "thinking outside of the box" series. These talks aimed to inspire, encourage and entertain the audience.

The Australian High Speed Vehicle (A-HSV) was designed in response to national debates on environmental, economic and social issues. The train would remove the reliance on air and private vehicle travel to in turn reduce carbon emissions, providing shorter travel times to regional cities under pressure from population growth and urban sprawl. The broader need for "design thinking" was discussed in many conference sessions and the A-HSV is a good example of private companies taking ideas and discussions into the public realm.

Last night the Perth HASSELL studio hosted 110 clients and employees at the annual International Women's Day event. Guest speaker Professor Donna Cross is Professor of Child and Adolescent Health at the Child Health Promotion Research Centre and was recently awarded the West Australian of the Year award for 2012. She is recognised internationally, having conducted research throughout the USA as well as Canada, Russia, Estonia, Japan and Israel, and with organisations such as WHO (World Health Organization), UNICEF and the American Health Foundation.

Her focus has been on changing the way Australian schools prevent and respond to aggression and the role of families in creating safer, more respectful communities. Over the years, Donna has tackled many issues affecting the wellbeing of children and young people. She has campaigned against drug use, cigarette smoking, bullying and child abuse and has worked to raise awareness of HIV and road safety. With the increasing occurrence of cyber-bullying, Donna is at the forefront of measures to counter and reduce its insidious impact and the risk it presents to vulnerable children. She has won many awards for her research, leadership and advocacy, and is a tireless champion for positive, whole school approaches to children's wellbeing.

The audience at last night's event was treated to a number of interesting, humorous and often terrifying statistics about our greatest national resource – children. We were also very pleased to have a number of VIPs in attendance including the Hon Chief Justice Wayne Martin and the Hon Andrea Mitchell MLA representing WA Premier Colin Barnett.

Chasing Kitsune, the Japanese Yatai food truck that was created by a group of young designers for the 2011 State of Design Festival in Victoria, Australia, has won the Restaurant and Bar category in the WAN Interior Design Awards 2011.

Designed to be more than a food truck – a mobile pop-up restaurant – the concept was dubbed Chasing Kitsune, fitting in with the State of Design theme of "design that moves".

The WAN panel loved the truck for its social aim of engaging people in unused areas around the city fringe. "Top marks for innovation," was the comment by HOK Associate and Interior Designer, Daniel Herriott, who was on the judging panel.

Deutsche Bank in Kowloon, Hong Kong, was another successful entrant in the WAN Interior Design Awards 2011, making it onto the short list in the Workspace category.

HASSELL has been shortlisted for an international design competition for the Land Trust in the United Kingdom. The competition is being run by the Royal Institute of British Architects and is searching for the best design for a new visitor destination and public open space at the former Cronton Colliery in Knowlsley, near the UK city of Manchester.

Four finalists, including Hawkins/Brown, Michael Lee Architects and Edward Architecture/Mathew Riley, were selected out of 50 international entries.

Matthew Bradbury, Director of Operations at the Land Trust commented, "We were blown away by the creativity and vision of the proposals. Each one offered a unique take on the brief, demonstrating empathy and understanding of the site based on its past and future contexts, in tune with the vision and values of the Land Trust."

Explaining the innovative competition, the Land Trust's chief executive Euan Hall said, "The former Cronton Colliery is a fabulous space that has the very real potential to become a magnificent 21st century visitor destination for the North West. By working with RIBA Competitions on this we are hoping to change the way design teams create schemes in the future. We believe that open spaces have the potential to be the catalyst for change and can impact far more than just the 'environment'."

The finalists have been invited to go through to the second stage of the competition with the winners being revealed on Thursday 19 April.

The HASSELL Hong Kong studio recently co-organised the city's inaugural Global Service Jam, an event which brings together people who are interested in using design and creativity to approach problem solving and service innovation.

This global event gives teams 48 hours to develop brand new services inspired by a shared theme and publish them to the world all at the same time. Global Service Jam is held concurrently in more than 80 cities globally.

The Hong Kong event was held at the Flag Out Creativity Centre in Kowloon and gave the local community a chance to find out about HASSELL, who co-organised the event with Hong Kong University's Business Students – Young Entrepreneurs for Society Network.

HASSELL aims to share the practice's knowledge and experience with students by engaging senior designers at events such as these. Ken Chan, a Senior Architect at the Hong Kong studio, was one of the speakers at the inaugural Hong Kong Global Service Jam.

We are pleased to announce that Felicity Roocke has joined the HASSELL London studio as a Senior Associate and will lead the interior design and workplace teams in London and Cardiff.

Felicity was previously a Design Director at Sheppard Robson, working as a part of its award-winning ID:SR interior design group. She has diverse expertise in workplace, media, hospitality, education and residential projects and brings with her a wealth of UK experience. She has worked with high profile media clients at ID:SR, including work with both Channel 4 and the BBC.

Felicity joins HASSELL at an exciting time. In addition to opening studios in London and Cardiff in 2011, we have now delivered over a million square metres of workplace design for more than 1,000 diverse clients throughout the world.

"Joining HASSELL is a great opportunity to pursue a shared philosophy of integrated design, where interiors, architecture and landscape are conceived as a whole and internal environments are designed to reflect the client ethos and radically enhance the experience for building users," said Felicity Roocke.

Tony Grist, Head of Architecture and leader of the HASSELL London studio said, "We welcome Felicity to the London studio and are excited by the world-class experience that she brings to HASSELL. Her appointment consolidates our expertise and her experience with high profile international clients will greatly support our work in the sector."

HASSELL Principal and Head of the London Studio, Tony Grist, was recently one of the key presenters at the 4th Annual Urban Waterfronts Conference on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The delegates included industry leaders from around the world, from countries such as the USA, Sweden, Denmark and the UAE.

There is currently a lot of discussion on how best to develop the coastal resources of the UAE in a sustainable way and Tony presented the HASSELL approach to Darwin Waterfront in the Northern Territory, Australia.

Tony's talk focused on strategies for creating a sense of place and respecting heritage and the environment. In effect, this means creating a flexible master plan that enables communities to form and allows for change over the history of the development.

HASSELL liaised directly with the Northern Territory government in Australia on Darwin Waterfront. The brief was to develop a master plan that reconnected the city to the water, providing a new destination that responds positively to the history and climate of the location.

Following its successful completion, Darwin Waterfront has become a destination for local residents and tourists alike. It is a model for tropical high rise architecture and how design can remediate and invigorate previously industrial areas of a city.

Monday 20 February 2012Finalists at Shenzhen social housing competition

HASSELL was a finalist in a recent competition for the design of social housing organised by the Shenzhen Centre for Design.

The competition to design social housing for Shenzhen was part of the 2011 Shenzhen-Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture and the brief called for ideas that relate to three scales of thinking – 1 unit, 100 families, 10,000 people – encompassing urban design and planning, architecture and interior design.

The HASSELL scheme adopts the concept of 'reciprocal living', whereby people are able to interact with each other, share experiences as well as spaces and develop a stronger sense of community. This idea is applied at each of the three scales of the project – on a master planning level, building level and single unit scale.

As the country faces rapid urbanisation, the government of China addressed this problem by including a target to deliver 36 million new social housing units by 2015 in its 5-Year Plan, released in 2011.

Shenzhen is a city that would be targeted with social housing as it is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. It aims to deliver 240,000 new units to provide housing for approximately 800,000 people. This city has grown 400 times its original size in the last 40 years following investment and mass migration from all over China. The city's population is mostly transient and comprises a large number of young people, particularly single women. There is only limited land left to house future population growth and the demand on natural resources, such as water, is a key issue for its sustainable growth.

David Tickle from the HASSELL Shanghai studio, project leader for the competition design, was recently interviewed by regional news broadcaster Channel News Asia about the concept developed by HASSELL for affordable housing in China. Click here to see the interview on Channel News Asia.

Pierre Greenway from the HASSELL Perth studio recently travelled to the Philippines to work with the MyShelter Foundation on the Litre of Light project. He met with the Executive Director of MyShelter Foundation and social entrepreneur, Illac Diaz, to learn more about this sustainability initiative which is helping to improve the standard of living in his country. A Litre of Light is a sustainable lighting solution that uses an extremely simple technology to light up the inside of homes without using electricity or fuel.

The solution consists of solar lights which are made with empty plastic bottles that are filled with a mixture of water and bleach. The bottles are then set half-way into a section of corrugated tin roofing. The water refracts light, the salt slows down evaporation and the bleach prevents mould from growing in the bottle, allowing the mixture and bottle to last for several years. Once installed, the bottle can provide light equivalent to a 50 watt light bulb on a bright day. The project has been successful in lighting up thousands of homes in the poorer villages across the Philippines and the MyShelter Foundation plans to light up a million residences by the end of 2012.

During his time in the Philippines, Pierre also had the opportunity to visit two other MyShelter projects: the Bottle School and the Bamboo School. The Bottle School is constructed from plastic PET bottles in lieu of bricks. This is a creative way to up-cycle used plastic and glass bottles, however, the building still faces challenges – for example, the rain water collecting in the bottles is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The Bamboo School was constructed using bamboo, a concrete slab and a few concrete sections of wall. The school was designed to allow air to flow through the building so that in the event of a typhoon, the winds can move easily through the porous building and minimise stress on the structure.

Pierre's trip was sponsored by the Knowledge and Sustainability group at HASSELL. As a result of his involvement in the Litre of Light initiative, HASSELL has been invited by the Diaz family to design a community centre for the elderly in San Pablo in the Philippines. By combining HASSELL design expertise with local materials, process and knowledge, we hope to design a structure that will withstand the elements and demonstrate good sustainable design.

Tony Grist, Head of Architecture and London studio leader, was recently interviewed by leading UK workplace design magazine On Office

Leading UK workplace design magazine On Office recently interviewed Tony Grist, Head of Architecture at HASSELL and London studio leader, about the practice’s recent arrival in the UK and Europe and its workplace design.

The article notes that, “at the core of HASSELL’s success is a collaborative, inter-disciplinary approach, and an ability to work holistically on a project from masterplan right through to architecture, interiors and the public realm. Its non-hierarchical respect for all disciplines is shown in the backgrounds of its leaders, who are landscape architects or interior designers, as well as architects, by training.”

One of the projects mentioned in the feature is ANZ Centre in Melbourne’s Docklands and this urban campus is an exemplary example of the HASSELL workplace design philosophy, with the main principles being permeability, diversity and sustainability.

The article says that ANZ Centre, like most HASSELL projects, was the result of an “iterative and collaborative approach to concept design”. HASSELL took the client to fifteen workplace projects around the world to analyse what was good and bad about each one of them.

The article also notes that, “another recurring theme for HASSELL is how the workplace and education sectors are increasingly crossing over as the former becomes more flexible and mobile through new technologies.” Tertiary institutions are making better connections with the corporate world and increasingly have to compete for students by offering state-of-the-art facilities; hence the influence of the design of corporate workplaces on education institutions.

Speaking of client involvement in all HASSELL projects, the article concludes that “with this client-centred approach and their expertise in so many different project types and areas, the arrival of HASSELL in the UK and Europe is a breath of fresh air – can-do Australian air, at that.”

HASSELL has received awards for its entry in both categories of the international Public Realm competition for CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) is one of the world's largest and most respected centres for scientific research, perhaps most famed for its particle accelerator the Large Hadron Collider.

The competition entry, which was produced by the London studio of HASSELL, was awarded at a ceremony at CERN's Globe of Innovation.

HASSELL was the sole UK based design practice to be recognised with an award. The open international competition, run by the Canton of Geneva, was launched in May 2011.

The competition was split into two categories – an Ideas competition for the length of the Route de Meyrin adjacent to the CERN campus, and a Project competition to design an emblematic Public Realm that will form the public face of the campus. HASSELL was placed in the top three in both categories, with the Project competition completed in collaboration with the lighting architect Rogier van der Heide.

An exhibition of the competition submissions is being held from the 19 to the 28 January 2012 in the Globe of Science and Innovation, CERN.

The entry from HASSELL explored the relationship between the imposing natural setting of the CERN Campus, with the evolving technological discoveries that are making headline news around the world. Tony Grist, Head of Architecture for HASSELL and based in the London studio commented, "The result recognises the commitment HASSELL places on the design of the public realm, and the culture of collaboration between architecture and landscape architecture within our practice."

Thursday 12 January 2012HASSELL ranked top architectural practice in Australasia

HASSELL has been ranked as the number 1 architectural practice in Australasia amongst a handful of Australian practices included in this year's World Architecture survey. The BD World Architecture's annual survey of the top global architecture practices, WA100, is published in association with UK magazine Building Design. It has become the leading indicator of how the global architectural profession is developing.

Among the world's 100 largest architectural practices, HASSELL was ranked 30 overall. The practice was also included in the global Top 10 for the Business Parks/Offices, Criminal Justice, Transportation and Urban Design market sectors. Our expertise in landscape architecture and interior design also featured in the global Top 10 for 'Areas of Expertise'.

HASSELL is an international design practice with 14 studios in Australia, China, South East Asia and the United Kingdom. Our leading position is thanks to a collaborative, diverse group of clients and the expertise, design talent and commitment we offer them. Our scale provides the capacity to deliver a broad range of projects, from small crafted commissions right through to some of the largest most complex developments.

"Whilst size isn't everything, we believe that this ranking and for the third year running, is testament to our success in working with our clients to achieve great outcomes," said Robert Backhouse, Managing Director.

Click here to learn more about some of our internationally recognised work.

Space, or a design of a space, is a subtle art. It can shock and awe. It can beguile and bewitch. Robb Report

Sports venues must be iconic yet functional

Well-designed and accessible sports venues can prolong the buildings' life, says architect John Pauline. The Straits Times

Esperence Waterfront has its future solidified by HASSELL

Esperance, located 720 kilometres South-East of Perth, may not be the biggest city in Western Australia, but it is blessed with the country’s favourite asset – clean beaches and clear waters.Architecture and Design

Reinventing unused spaces and turning them into parks

A major exhibition series titled Parks Changing Australia, spearheaded by the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA), will tell the stories of Sydney’s most progressive new parks and their interstate counterparts. Domain.com.au

Galleries need to move away from the traditional white box

The Louvre doesn’t do it, and neither does the Guggenheim. The Tate Modern’s new galleries make a good job of it, and the Hepworth Wakefield contemporary art gallery in Yorkshire gets close.Adelaide Review

The Great Room features in Wallpaper*

Wallpaper* visits SIngapore's newest flexible workplace designed by HASSELL, The Great Room. Wallpaper*

The Art of Business Travel

Aviation expert and principal at Hassell design studio Mark Wolfe talks with Nick Walton about terminal design, changing the traveller’s experience, sustainability, and the airports of the future.The Art of Business Travel

Finger paintings

HASSELL creates intimate spaces with a huge former warehouse to enable guests and visitors to 'gather and connect'. FX Magazine

Dennis Ho on Monocle Radio

Hong Kong’s booming infrastructure projects pull in architects from all over the world. Dennis Ho moved back to Hong Kong earlier this year after spending more than 20 years working for London-based architecture firm Rogers Stirk Harvour + Partners. We visit him at his new digs in North Point.Monocle 24.